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University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


STEVE'S  WOMAN 


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"I'VE   JUST    COME,"    SAID    JANET 


STEVE'S 
WOMAN 

MRSHAVELOCK  ELLIS 

Endpapers  and  Illustrations 
by  Christopher  Clark^  R.  I. 

NEW  YORK        ::       THE  JOHN    McBRIDE   CO        ::        MCMIX 


Copyright, 

THE  JOHN  MCBRIDB  Go. 


Co 

ALL  MY  LOYAL  FRIENDS 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 


I've  just  come,"  said  Janet     ....     Frontispiece 


PAGE 


"  Come,  Janet !" Ill 

He  shaded  his  face  with  his  hands,  and  gazed  across 

the  sands 197 

"  Thee  art  drunk,"  she  said  stolidly    ...  236 


CHAPTER  I 


Steve's  Woman 


CHAPTER  I 

"LORDY!  Lordy!  this  be  a 
weary  world  for  the  old  and  feeble. 
I  sometimes  wonder  what  us  would 
do  without  a  bit  of  scented  snuff  or 
a  drop  of  good  tea  with  a  shake 
of  green  in  it — eh,  Steve,  boy?" 

A  patient-looking  man,  who  sat 
near  the  fire  with  his  head  lowered, 
raised  his  eyes,  and  grunted  out, 
"Humph!" 

The  woman  was  his  mother,  who 
having  arrived  safely  at  her  eight 
ieth  year,  still  kept  the  desire  for 
youth  so  vigorous  that,  when  she 
11 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

had  a  sick  stomach  or  a  touch  of 
"the  new  complaint  they  call  the 
flenzy,"  she  felt  that  God  was  giv 
ing  her  a  test  for  her  patience  which 
really  ought  not  to  come  except  to 
those  whom  the  Lord  loveth  well 
enough  to  take  to  Himself.  She  sat 
month  after  month,  crooning  over 
the  past  or  wailing  at  the  future, 
sometimes  doing  a  bit  of  knitting, 
but  chiefly  patting  her  wrinkled 
hands  one  over  the  other,  as  if  she 
had  a  rhythmic  cadence  in  her  mind, 
as  she  sighed  "Lordy,  Lordy" — which 
name  would  certainly  sound  irrever 
ent  on  the  lips  of  any  but  the  Elect, 
since  it  implies  not  only  endearment, 
but  familiarity. 

"It's  a  weary  world,  my  son — a 
weary  world — and  it's  most  more 
nor  I  can  bear  when  I  do  feel  I'm 
a  burden  on  you  and  Janet." 

She  looked  across  at  her  son,  and 
12 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

her  old  eyes  brightened  as  she  made 
one  more  attempt  to  draw  the  man 
out.  She  waited  for  a  loving  re 
monstrance,  but  Steve  only  coughed. 

"It's  well  to  be  some  folks,  that 
it  be,"  she  continued.  "It's  lone 
some  for  you  when  you  be  left  so 
long,  without  your  woman  to  do 
chars  for  you.  SheVe  been  gone 
since  yesterday,  and  even  to  me  it  do 
seem  a  month.  I  miss  her  bits  o' 
tasties.  You  and  me  betwixt  us 
can  scarce  fit  up  a  cup  of  tea;  for 
you  be  befoolt  in  your  legs,  and  I 
be  in  the  same  strait  in  my  back  and 
arms.  Lordy,  Lordy,  it  is  a  weary 
business,  and  I  hope  the  good  Je 
sus  will  soon  rid  me  of  it  all — that  I 
do,"  she  added  with  a  whimper, 
"for  I  be  nothing  but  a  burden  now." 

Her  son  looked  up  with  a  faint 
smile  on  his  face. 

"Yes,  yes,  it  is  a  bit  dull  at  times, 
13 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

sure  enough,"  he  said,  raising  his 
voice  in  the  musical  interrogative 
peculiar  to  Cornwall,  "but  it  ain't 
so  bad  for  you  as  me,  mother.  I  do 
belong  to  do  something  more  nor 
sit  over  the  fire  like  an  ash  cat  and 
wait  for  a  neighbour  to  drop  in,  so 
that  in  talking  with  him  I  can  for 
get  what  sort  I  be  now.  It  plagues 
me  like  a  fever  when  I  reckon  it  all 
up,  and  know  I  shan't  never  be  no 
good  for  nothing  again.  But  what's 
the  use  of  jawing  over  it?  I  must 
bear  it  and  take  the  best  I  can  and 
stop  snarling." 

He  stretched  out  his  hand  for  a 
thick  length  of  iron  which  lay  near, 
and  raked  some  stray  pieces  of 
furze  and  faggots  together  on  to 
the  smouldering  fire,  causing  a  blaze 
of  light  to  spring  up  in  the  open 
chimney  corner,  illuminating  both 
faces  with  sham  laughter,  as  if  the 
14 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

man  and  woman  alike  were  grim 
jokes  over  which  the  flames  might 
gibe.  The  man  was  partially  para 
lysed.  A  mining  accident  had  pros 
trated  him  with  a  disease  the  doc 
tors  called  by  a  learned  name, 
which  Steve  declared  he  could  never 
quite  roll  round  his  tongue.  Two 
years  after  his  marriage  this  disas 
ter  had  come  upon  him.  The  dis 
ease,  while  leaving  him  the  use  of 
his  hands  and  arms,  had  paralysed 
both  his  legs,  causing  a  total  change 
in  his  way  of  life.  The  once  muscu 
lar  miner  and  hardy  man  of  all 
trades  was  reduced  to  making  and 
mending  nets  as  his  only  means  of 
earning  a  living. 

Before  his  accident  he  was  a 
good  workman,  much  counted  upon 
in  times  of  difficulty  or  strife  as  a 
temperate  and  dependable  sort  of 
man  who  carried  more  wisdom  in 
15 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

his  little  finger  than  most  people 
could  boast  of  having  in  their  whole 
body.  He  had  acquired  the  posi 
tion  of  mentor  in  the  small  fishing 
village  of  Carnwyn,  because  of  his 
short  way  of  getting  to  the  centre 
of  a  difficulty  without  the  usual 
preamble,  which  to  the  rough  sail 
ors  and  their  wives  seemed  indis 
pensable  before  they  could  come  near 
the  point  at  issue. 

It  had  been  whispered  more  than 
once  in  the  gossip  of  the  village 
corners  that  Steve  Trenoweth,  or 
"Clibby  Steve/*  had  not  been  in  for 
eign  parts  for  nothing.  In  fact 
there  was  no  saying  that  he  had  not 
got  a  tip  or  two  from  royalty  in  the 
course  of  his  travels,  for  some  of 
his  ideas  were  quite  "flash"  enough 
for  that  to  seem  possible.  Many  a 
man  and  woman  in  the  village  had 
come  in,  after  Steve's  accident  had 
16 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

disabled  him,  to  ask  for  advice  on 
some  domestic  matter,  "just  to  make 
Clibby  Steve  feel  hisself  a  man  agin." 
He  always  gave  advice  readily,  and 
cracked  a  joke  as  well  as  any  of  them, 
even  against  himself,  so  that  he 
puzzled  his  old  mates  sorely;  they 
could  not  tell  whether  the  man  was 
crushed  or  not,  for  he  gave  them  no 
chance  to  pity  him  or  to  scorn  him. 
His  mother  was  the  real  trial  to  his 
good  humour.  He  had  promised 
many  years  ago  that  she  should 
never  leave  his  home,  and  that  he 
would  always  provide  for  her,  but 
now,  kindness  having  come  home  to 
roost,  with  a  magpie  tendency  to  be 
always  droning  out  "Lordy,  Lordy!" 
"Deary  me/'  he  often  wished,  with 
out  realizing  any  infamy  in  the 
thought,  that  her  "Lordy"  would 
take  her  to  heaven,  where,  he  firm 
ly  believed,  she  would  enjoy  the 
17 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

perpetual  youth  for  which  she  so 
continuously  and  so  wailingly  craved. 
He  loved  her  in  a  long-suffering  way, 
with  a  love  born  of  habit  but  not  of 
union  or  understanding.  She  was 
his  mother,  he  was  her  only  idol, 
and  in  that  fact  lay  many  of  his 
worst  griefs.  She  had  thwarted  him 
in  his  largest  longings  because  she 
loved  him  selfishly,  and  wanted  him 
exclusively,  and  he,  in  his  rough  way, 
had  realised  how  she  had  strained 
the  bond  between  them  so  tightly 
that  nothing  but  habit  held  him 
to  her.  He  was  a  rough  sea-coast 
dreamer,  and  her  snuff-taking  and 
continual  whining  interrupted  his 
fancies  and  his  memories.  The  fire 
light  rested  him  and  made  him 
more  a  lover  of  his  woman  and  the 
sea  than  ever.  His  mother,  al 
ways  sitting  opposite  to  him  by  the 
fireside,  jerked  his  fancies  contin- 
18 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

ually  to  the  sordid  contemplation 
of  a  cripple's  life,  and  a  cripple's 
chances  of  being  neglected  and  then 
forgotten. 

"Steve!"  Old  Mother  Trenoweth 
spoke  sharply,  and  even  shrilly  this 
time.  He  raised  his  head  once  more 
and  fixed  his  eyes  on  the  wrinkled 
face  before  him.  The  thin,  old 
hand  with  its  dark  blue  veins  at 
tracted  her  son's  eyes  as  she  fum 
bled  in  her  pocket  for  her  snuff-box. 
It  was  one  she  prized,  for  Steve  had 
picked  it  up  some  years  ago  when  a 
wreck  had  wakened  Carnwyn  into 
hard  work  and  new  experiences; 
for  many  a  home  could  date  its 
miscarriages  and  its  seizures  from 
the  day  when  three  vessels  foundered 
on  Scryfa  beach,  and  only  six  men 
of  all  the  crews  were  saved.  Steve 
Trenoweth  remembered  the  day  well, 
and  as  he  looked  at  his  mother  he 
19 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

thought  of  it.  That  snuff-box  had 
a  tale  behind  it  for  Clibby  Steve, 
and  he  just  remembered  he  had 
never  told  his  wife  how  he  came  by 
it. 

"Steve — do  you  hear  me?" 

"Yes,  mother.  What  do  you 
want?" 

The  old  woman  took  a  big  pinch 
of  snuff  and  spoke  slowly  and  a 
trifle  cautiously,  as  if  she  were  not 
sure  how  the  remark  would  be  re 
ceived.  Her  head  on  one  side,  and 
her  half-closed  eyes,  betrayed  her 
agitation. 

"Do  you  believe  that  Janet's  sea 
weed  messes  do  you  much  good, 
Steve?  There  be  folks/'  she  went 
on  rapidly,  determined  to  finish  her 
sentence  before  he  could  stop  her, 
"who  do  say  as  your  woman  likes 
a  jaunt  now  and  then,  and  is  over 
fond  of  fetching  them  weeds  from 
20 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

up  along  instead  of  biding  always 
with  us  and  doing  our  coddles  and 
chars  as  she  ought  to  do." 

"Folks  be  danged!"  said  Steve 
sullenly. 

"Husht,  boy,  husht!"  she  said, 
looking  round  as  if  the  devil,  for 
whom  she  had  as  yet  found  no  en 
dearing  name,  might  be  within  hear 
ing.  "I  canna  let  you  use  swear 
words  like  that,  a  Christian  don't 
belong  to  use  such  oaths.  You  nev 
er  did  it  afore" — she  was  going  to 
add,  "you  married,"  but  she  changed 
it  as  she  looked  at  his  face — "afore 
you  was  maimed.  It  is  a  great 
affliction,  Steve,  my  son,  but  the 
Lord  do  know  best,  and  perhaps  He 
've  set  you  on  your  chair  there  so 
that  you  could  be  of  more  spiritual 
use  to  that  flash  woman  of  yours 
than  ever  you  was  able  to  be  when 
you  did  go  out  from  morning  to 
21 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

night  and  was  in  full  work  and  pay." 

She  nodded  her  head  and  patted 
one  hand  over  the  other  in  a  way 
which  meant  to  convey  to  her  son 
that  she  could  say  more  if  she  dared. 

"Out  with  it;  what  do  you  mean, 
mother?  Let's  hear.  What  have 
you  against  my  woman?" 

"Nothing,  lad,  why  nothing  at  all. 
It  isn't  me  as  do  talk  of  her.  No;  I 
always  pleads  for  her,  knowing  what 
a  power  of  life  young  things  do  be 
long  to  have.  I've  heard  many  an 
ill  word  of  Janet,  but  I'm  slow  to 
mind  it  all;  but  you  do  know  I've 
never  thought  she  was  the  wife  you 
would  have  took  to,  no,  that  I 
didn't,. for — like  it  or  not,  Steve,  they 
be  right  when  they  do  say  that  she's 
a  lass  as  is  bound  to  make  a  man's 
heart  heavy  one  way  or  another." 

"Mother,  husht!" 

"There,  there!  it's  always  the 
22 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

way.  Wives  first  and  mothers  ain't 
nowhere.  I  shall  be  shoved  out  of 
the  door  one  day,  and  told  not  to 
put  my  finger  in  your  flour  sack 
again,  like  Molly  Oliver  was  done  to 
by  her  son;  things  is  coming  that 
way,  I  believe." 

Steve  took  out  his  pipe,  slowly 
filled  it,  lighted  up,  and  sent  a 
great  cloud  of  smoke  between  his 
face  and  his  mother's,  saying  sul 
lenly: 

"You  believe  all  the  lies  you  can 
fall  on,  I  reckon.  Do  nobody  tell 
you  truth  by  chance?" 

He  laughed  stupidly,  as  if  he'd 
like  to  sleep  if  she  would  let  him. 

"Yes!  Yes!  and  it  is  the  truth 
that  fears  me  for  you.  You  don't 
believe  as  a  big,  bouncing  woman 

like  Janet  is  going  to  bide  true  to 
a »» 

"Mother,  husht!  If  I  had  the  use 
23 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

of  my  legs  again  I'd  thrash  every 
blooming  jackass  as  dares  to  take 
the  name  of  my  woman  on  his  dirty 
mouth.  Yes!  I'll  use  words  strong 
enough  to  choke  the  parsons  and 
liars  as  come  here  because  they 
haven't  enough  to  do  without  taking 
up  women's  gossip.  They  fill  your 
head  with  rubbish  enough  to  deafen 
a  Chinaman.  I'm  wild  with  it  all — 
now!"  and  he  spat  angrily  into  the 
fire.  "I've  listened  and  said  noth 
ing  for  months,  but  now  hear  a  bit 
of  my  mind  on  this  job  just  for 
once't.  My  woman's  a  darned  sight 
handsomer,  straighter,  and"  —  he 
laughed — "decenter  than  any  of  the 
maids  up  along  or  down  along,  a 
darned  sight  better  by  yards,  mind 
that!  And  that's  just  why  she's  got 
the  women  folks  agin  her.  Do  you 
think  I  don't  know?"  He  sneered 
and  laughed  roughly.  "I  ain't  watch- 
24 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

ed  and  walked  with  maids  for  nuth- 
in',  mind  you.  I've  been  a  hot  un 
in  my  time — you  do  know  that — 
and  Janet  warn't  the  first  woman  as 
I've  kissed — but  I  guess  she's  the 
last." 

He  sat  up  and  smoked  hard,  and 
his  mother  muttered  beneath  her 
breath: 

"I  shouldn't  like  to  say  as  you  was 
the  last  man  as  Janet  had  made  free 
with  anyway;  seems  to  me  as  fe 
males  nowadays  has  too  much  tether 
given  to  'em,  and  by  them  as  should 
have  the  whip-hand  on  'em,  too. 
I'm  not  one  of  they  sort  as  believes 
a  female  can  captain  herself;  it 
ain't  the  law  of  God  as  she  should, 
and  a  sensible  man  soon  finds  that 
out  for  hisself.  A  woman  must 
be  captained  same  as  a  ship,  or 
her  '11  run  on  to  rocks  sure  enough. 
That's  been  your  blunder,  my  son. 
25 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

You  began  wrong  with  Janet,  and 
let  a  high-spirited,  lusty  woman  get 
you  fast  under  her  thumb.  The 
courtin'  should  be  sweet  enough, 
but  a  man  should  feel  the  whip 
handle  and  flick  the  cord  betimes, 
just  to  show  the  female  as  her  lord 
can  do  something  more  nor  worship 


a  woman/1 


She  clasped  her  hands  in  a  re 
signed  way  and  looked  steadfastly 
at  Steve,  who  was  smiling  to  him 
self.  She  was  not  sure  that  he  had 
heard  her,  for  he  said  slowly,  and 
a  little  absently: 

"I'd  weary  work  getting  Janet. 
Lancashire  women  must  be  mixed 
up  with  different  stuff,  I  reckon. 
It  was  as  stiff  a  job  as  ever  I  tackled 
and  made  me  sweat  often  enough, 
I  can  tell  you.  Howsomever,  that 
time  I  was  clipped  tight,  for  I've 
never  been  able  to  make  free  with 
26 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

maids  since. "  He  snorted  and 
smoked  harder  still.  '  *  I  believe  some 
times  it's  that  that  do  rile  'em — that 
and  Janet's  face,  which  makes 
'em  all  feel  as  if  they'd  had  the  pest. 
That's  why  they  be  all  dead  agin 
her.  It's  because  they  be  crazy 
jealous  of  her.  If  she  was  a  hedge 
maid,  like  lots  I  know  here  by,  who 
go  like  cats  creeping  after  dusk  for 
toms,  and  ready  to  take  men  or  lads, 
whichever  comes  handiest,  why, 
they'd  leave  her  be.  But  no,  be 
cause  she'd  put  her  fist  right  in  the 
eye  of  any  man  as  tried  to  kiss  her, 
and  because  she'd  do  a  kind  act  for 
any  maid  as  wanted  it,  they  come 
here  with  their  cursed  whispering 
and  sniggering,  and  I  tell  you  for 
truth,  mother,  they  ain't  fit  to 
wash  her  clothes." 

"Well!  well!  young  uns  will  talk, 
Steve,  and  I  canna  put  wool  in  my 


ears." 


27 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

"No!  I  know  that,  but  ye  needn't 
wash  out  your  ears  for  to  listen 
better,  and  you  be  soft  enough  to 
harken  and  believe  'em " 

"No,  lad,  it  ain't  exactly  as  I  be 
lieve  'em,  but  she  do  open  the  road 
for  talk  about  her.  I  don't  bear  no 
grudge  agin  her,  but " 

"Yes  you  do,  the  lot  of  ye.  I 
know  all  you  would  like  to  spit  out 
about  her.  You  have  got  a  grudge 
agin  her.  Say  what  you've  a  mind 
to.  Do  you  think  because  I  holds 
my  tongue  I  don't  know  how  you 
all  hate  her?  Bah!" — he  spat  angri 
ly  on  the  floor  and  knocked  the 
ashes  from  his  pipe,  and  then  rubbed 
the  bowl  of  it  quickly  against  his 
sleeve,  as  if  he'd  brighten  other 
things  than  pipe  bowls  if  he  could 
do  as  he  liked. 

"Thee  art  a  bit  teasy,  Steve. 
Thee  dost  want  Janet  to  come  and 
28 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

lift  you  onto  the  sofa  for  a  while. 
Thee  have  sat  there  in  thy  chair  too 
long  and  art  a  bit  cramped.  Lordy! 
Lordy!  I  wish  her'd  come  home  and 
fit  us  up  a  snack  of  supper,  for  I 
fancy  a  bit  of  tasty,  and  I  reckon 
that's  why  we're  frettin'  a  bit  one 
against  the  other." 

Steve  kept  up  the  rubbing  of  his 
pipe,  and  said  stolidly  and  slowly, 
as  if  he  had  not  heard  his  mother 
speak:  "It's  six  year  come  Christ 
mas  Eve  since  I  took  her  to  wife,  and 
you  and  old  Mother  Treglown  have 
butted  your  two  heads  together  ever 
since  to  try  and  ferret  out  if  she 
be  splay-footed,  or  has  a  devil's 
imp  inside  of  her.  Yes!  you  know 
I  be  speaking  truth  and  you  may 
'Husht!'  as  long  as  you  like.  I'm 
going  to  give  you  for  once't  a  bit 
of  my  mind,  and  you've  got  to  lis 
ten,  for  I'm  dead  sick  of  all  this  talk 
29 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

over  my  woman.  I've  borne  things 
till  I'm  real  teasy  at  last.  You  hate 
her" — he  put  the  pipe  in  his  pocket 
and  clasped  his  hands  behind  his 
big  neck — "because  she's  had  a  bit 
more  learning  than  we  belong  to  give 
our  maids.  I  know  she  do  use  her 
brains  freely,  instead  of  lettin'  'em 
addle  for  want  of  big  catches  to  try 
'em  on.  She  can't  help  that.  It's 
her  nature  as  much  as  it  is  for  one 
dog  to  follow  another.  Our  folks 
takes  an  hour  to  tell  a  tale,  and  then 
tells  everythin'  but  the  tale  in  the 
end;  and  Janet  tells  you  like  the 
click  of  a  door  all  you  wants  to 
know  to  once't.  Same  with  fitting 
a  man's  meat — while  one  of  our 
maids  '11  be  fitting  up  a  bit  o'  tasty, 
Janet  '11  have  a  spread  fit  for  Bo- 
litho  himself  to  sit  to,  and  it  won't 
cost  as  much  as  a  bit  of  heavy  cake 
when  all's  said  and  done." 
30 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

"Yes,"  nodded  the  old  dame,  and 
she  dragged  herself  across  the  room 
to  a  side  cupboard  to  get  the  tea 
pot.  "Yes!  it  be  true  enough.  She 
can  fit  up  meat  better  nor  anyone  I 
do  know,  sure  enough,  and" — as 
she  put  the  bread  and  butter  on  a 
little  round  table  near  the  crippled 
man — "she  do  eat  it  hearty,  too. 
I  marvels  sometimes  how  a  female 
can  eat  like  a  great  man,  as  she  do 
belong  to  do.  It  do  take  money, 
I  tell  you,  to  keep  her  in  plain 
victuals,  not  to  speak  of  coddles 
which  we  do  all  like  betimes." 

The  man  laughed  happily. 

"That's  it,  mother.  Hand  me  a 
drop  of  tea  and  some  bread.  It 
gives  me  a  hungry  feeling  like,  to 
think  of  her  and  her  eating.  When 
I  first  fell  in  with  her  I  thought, 
that's  the  maid  for  me.  Her  can  eat 
and  sleep  and  work,  and  I'll  lay 
31 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

my  head  on  it  her  can  love  on  the 
same  plan.  Here  goes,  says  I,  and 
I  went  for  courting  that  woman  on 
the  same  plan  I'd  go  in  for  saving  a 
ship,  neck  or  nothin'.  I'd  have 
my  man — in  that  job  it  was  a  wom 
an — or  go  under  for  it.  I  knowed 
her  as  soon  as  I  clapped  eyes  on  her — 
with  her  sturdy  legs  and  great  long 
hands  and  her  rosy  mouth  as  could 

settle  a  row  in  a "      He  snapped 

his  fingers  to  indicate  the  time  it 
would  need  for  Janet  to  square 
things.  "I  don't  wonder  they  hate 
her  here.  I  know  the  sort  of  maid 
you'd  got  cut  out  and  dressed  for  me; 
she  do  hunt  hereabouts  still.  Yes! 
you  know  she  do,  like  as  she  were 
mad  with  moonshine.  No!  I  didna 
want  to  marry  a  maid  as  'd  sit  at 
my  feet  and  blink  at  me  all  day  and 
purr  at  me  all  night  like  a  chintzy 
cat.  It  shows  what  you  all  know 
32 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

about  me,  if  you  do  think  as  they 
sort  of  women  takes  my  fancy. 
Some  more  tea,  mother." 

Dame  Trenoweth  poured  out  the 
second  cup  of  tea,  and,  as  she  gave 
it  to  him,  she  rubbed  her  trembling 
old  hand  through  his  thick  hair  and 
gently  kissed  him.  Her  Steve  was 
her  idol,  and  if  she  could  only  get 
him  to  talk  she  did  not  mind  a  bit  of 
abuse. 

"Eh,  Steve!  But  you're  over  hard 
on  the  maids.  It  be  true  I  would 
have  liked  you  to  wed  a  maiden  like 
Wilmot  Tregarth,  and  it's  true,  as 
you  say,  as  she's  always  been  over 
fond  of  you,  but  if  you  don't  take  to 
such  as  she — well,  well,  thy  old 
mother  won't  make  thy  bed  harder 
for  you  to  lie  on.  Mothers  can't 
count  on  choosing  their  sons'  wives." 

Steve  handed  her  his  cup  and  took 
out  his  pipe  again  and  sucked  it 
before  filling  it. 

33 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

"They  sort  o'  women  makes  me 
sick,"  he  muttered;  "I  could  take 
my  foot  to  'em.  The  very  scent  of 
their  skirts  spells  foolishness  to  me. 
They  seems  as  addle-pated  as  gulls, 
and  they  simper  and  chatter  enough 
to  give  you  a  sick  stomach.  But 

Janet "  and  as  he  said  the  word 

you  could  not  tell  whether  the  blaze 
from  the  match  as  he  lighted  his  pipe 
or  the  vision  his  brain  conjured  up 
gave  the  fire  and  strength  to  his 
deep  grey  eyes — "Janet,  why,  she's 
never  teased  me  once't  nor  tired  me 
neither,  since  we  was  married. 
She's  like  a  squirrel ;  now  ain't  she, 
mother?" 

The  old  woman  nodded. 

"Like  a  bit  eel,  too— eh?"  he 
asked  with  a  merry  twinkle  in  his 
eye  as  he  blew  a  smoke  wreath  from 
his  uplifted  mouth. 

"Yes,  yes,  so  she  be." 
34 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

"And  like  a  skylark  on  the  Tow- 
ans  at  daybreak,  eh,  mother?" 

"I  don't  belong  to  see  'em  now, 
lad,"  she  answered  cautiously,  for 
she  had  a  dim  idea  he  was  taking  her 
into  a  maze  where  she  would  find 
herself  entrapped  in  the  praises  of 
Janet. 

"Well,  she's  like  a  rough  colt,  too 
— and  a  bit  of  a  tiger  thrown  in." 
He  laughed  loudly.  "That  last 
you'll  grant  to  her?" 

"Yes!  a  bit  like  that,  but  not 
quite  so  bad  as  you've  painted  her." 

The  old  dame  grunted,  rather  be 
wildered  at  having  her  own  weapons 
used  in  her  son's  hands. 

"No,  not  quite  so  bad." 

He  chuckled. 

"And  down  below  all  they  things, 

mother,  there's  something  else  she 

be  like,   and  no  feller,   unless  he's 

been  at  a  school,  could  get  at  it, 

35 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

and  perhaps  not  then.  I  can't  find 
no  way  of  telling  of  it,  for  it's  like 
the  lighthouse  lamp  in  a  gale.  I 
can  steer  by  it,  but  I'm  blest  if  I 
can  whistle  it  into  the  boat  with  me. 
There,  you  look  mad  again  because 
I've  got  off  the  tiger  tack.  Oh, 
mother!  I  wish  you'd  try  and  love 
her,  for  you  do  make  her  sad,  many 
and  many  a  time,  though  she  says 
no  word  of  it." 

"Well,  well,  Steve.  I'll  try  for  to 
please  you,  for,  as  I  said  afore,  I've 
nothing  agin  the  woman,  and  after 
all  she  do  belong  to  thee  and  I  sh'd 
behave  better;  but" — with  a  sly 
glance  at  the  man,  who  was  now  be 
ginning  to  mend  an  old  brown  fish 
ing  net  with  a  tatting  spool — "I  do 
miss  the  lill  baby,  Steve,  and  I  do 
want  to  dandle  a  brat  of  yours  on  my 
knees  afore  the  Lord  do  take  me." 

She  pulled  out  of  her  pocket  an 
36 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

old  red  silk  handkerchief  and  wiped 
her  eyes.  This  was  her  trump  card, 
and  she  had  saved  it  all  these  months 
to  play  against  Janet.  She  smooth 
ed  out  her  apron  and  made  a  grand 
mother's  knee,  while  she  rocked  to 
and  fro  as  if  hushing  a  child  to  sleep; 
but  only  "Lordy!  Lordy!"  was 
heard  by  Steve  who  never  guessed 
that  it  was  a  lullaby.  He  threw  down 
the  net  on  the  floor  and  the  tatting 
spool  with  it. 

"Now  we're  at  it,"  he  said,  and 
belched  out  volumes  of  smoke  from 
his  pipe.  "She  be  childless!  That's 
your  grudge  agin  her,  be  it?  I've 
stopped  your  tongue  afore  now  when 
you  was  going  to  run  on  that  tack 
and  now — by  God!  I'll  stop  you 
altogether." 

He  knocked  some  more  loose  furze 
into  the  smouldering  heap  in  the 
grate  with  one  hand,  tightly  clutch- 
37 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

ing  the  iron  which  he  held  with  the 
other,  and  as  the  flames  danced 
round  the  wood  he  went  on: 

"That  woman's  biggest  wish  in 
this  world  is  to  have  a  child,  mind 
that!  Her  biggest  wish,  I  tell  you. 
She's  made  in  body  and  bone  and 
breast  for  that  job,  better  nor  all 
our  maids  in  Cornwall." 

His  eyes  kindled,  and  the  smoking 
ceased  as  he  twisted  himself  further 
round  in  his  chair  to  face  his  mother. 

"I'd  never  guessed  afore  I  knew 
her  what  a  woman  was.  The  maids 
I  walked  with  teached  me  no  more  of 
women  of  Janet's  make  nor  grey 
birds  or  bantams.  I  never  shot  a 
guess,  afore  I  courted  Janet,  what  a 
parcel  of  feelings  could  fit  into  a 
cream  and  white  skin  that  looks  as 
if  her  own  finger  nails  'd  scar  it. 
It's  just  them  things  I  think  on  as  I 
sit  here  when  I  can't  move  about  as 
38 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

I  belong — women  and  maids  .  and 
mothers  and  childer — and  I'm  blest  if 
every  one  of  'em  don't  all  fit  into 
the  face  of  my  woman." 

Seeing  the  bewildered  look  in  his 
mother's  face,  he  said,  in  a  more 
gentle  voice: 

"But  that's  not  here  nor  yet  there. 
Mother,  do  you  try  to  follow  me  a 
bit  and  you're  bound  to  come  round 
to  my  way  of  thinking.  I'd  cut 
my  hand  off — yes,  I'd  scoop  out 
one  of  my  eyes  as  the  Bible  tells  us 
to  do,  rather  than  I'd  think  hard  or 
evil  of  Janet.  There  is  no  evil  in 
her."  He  knocked  the  ashes  out 
of  his  pipe  against  the  arm  of  his 
chair  as  he  said  it,  and  blew  vigor 
ously  down  the  stem. 

"She's    a    big    brave    woman    as 

clings  hard  to  a  man" — his  voice  was 

lowered,  and  he  looked  hardly  at  the 

old  woman — "who  never  can  have 

39 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

no  child!  There,  mother!'* — with 
a  short,  sharp  breath — "put  that 
in  your  snuff  to  scent  it  with,  and 
strike  out  the  sum  agin  Janet. 
You've  got  to  put  that  fault  to  me 
and  not  to  she.  When  the  neigh 
bours  come  in  next  and  set  up  their 
cackling  over  maids  and  widders  and 
childer  and  parsons,  tell  'em  from 
me  that  Clibby  Steve  can't  get  no 
child  and  that  Janet,  his  woman,  do 
cleave  to  him  in  spite  of  it,  'cause 
she  loves  him,  mark  that!  and  has 
vowed  to  love  him  till  he  dies — and 
tell  'em  too,  if  they  can  spell  it  out, 
that  ever  since  she  knowed  her 
could  have  no  child,  she's  never 
mouthed  over  it — neither  to  me, 
nor  to  any  other  body.  Folks  don't 
mag  except  about  pin  pricks.  I'm 
not  blind,  and  I  watch  her,  as  you 
do  know  well  enough,  like  a  big  fool 
day  in  and  day  out.  I  watch  that 
40 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

woman  of  ours  with  childer,  and  it's 
enough  to  send  you  mazed  to  see  the 
look  on  her  face.  Virgin  Marys  in 
deed! — them  faces  ain't  none  of 
'em  ripe  enough  to  look  like  my 
woman."  He  laughed  softly.  "The 
childer  know  her,  know  her  for  a 
full,  ripe  woman  as  wants  somethin' 
that  she  do  belong  to  have  and  can't 
have  noways  as  I  can  see.  Watch 
her  with  beasts.  It's  just  the  same. 
It  makes  a  feller  feel  a  skunkin' 
hound  to  set  fish  hooks  for  starlings 
or  hunt  a  wild  thing  happy  in  the 
sun.  Oh,  mother!  do  you  hear  me? 
I'm  sore  pressed  to  plead  for  her 
like  this.  I  don't  belong  to  be  a 
whining  ninny  like  I  be  this  day, 
but  you've  set  me  on  past  my  own 
tongue,  and  I  don't  know  myself 
at  all.  No,  not  at  all — sure  en 
ough." 

His  face,  aglow  with  the  energy 
41 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

with  which  he  had  spoken,  grew  soft 
er.  The  lover  had  transfigured  the 
rough  miner,  and  educated  him  be 
yond  the  colleges  and  books  he 
craved  to  know  in  order  that  he 
might  be  able  to  understand  Janet. 
Old  Mother  Trenoweth  cowered  un 
der  his  strange  look,  for  Steve,  her 
strong,  quiet,  and  tender  son,  never 
talked  to  her  in  this  feverish  way, 
and  she  feared  he  was  getting  "not 
exactly"  through  sitting  still  all  day. 
"Steve,  my  son,  don't  you  take  on 
'bout  what  I  said.  I  meant  no  hurt 
to  her.  I'm  a  lone  widdy,"  with  a 
whimper,  "and  I  did  want  to  dandle 
a  lill  grandchild  on  my  knees  afore 
I  died;  but,  if  it  is  the  Lord's  will 
that  you  cannot  be  a  good  man  to  her 
as  is  your  lawful  wife,  well,  it's  not 
for  me  to  say  one  way  nor  another, 
and  I  didna  mean  to  tease  you,  sure 
enough.  When  a  woman  be  barren, 
42 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

you  knows  yourself  that  folks  will 
talk  and  say  that,  if  one  chap  winna 
do,  she  do  often  hanker  after  an 
other,  specially  if  her  master  bides 
always  in  the  house  place  and  she  do 
go  up  along  at  times,  as  Janet  do. 
I  don't  say  but  what  seaweed  can 
do  you  good,  but  it  be  far  for  she  to 
go  for  it,  and  she  so  well  set  and  live 
ly  in  her  talk,  and  not  of  this  coun 
try  neither. " 

This  last  sentence  was  delivered 
with  a  little  of  the  old  venom,  for 
here  was  another  sore  which  could 
not  heal:  that  her  son  had  not  chos 
en  a  wife  from  his  own  village  and 
people.  The  man  laughed. 

"It's  no  use  getting  teasy  with 
thee,  mother.  I  thank  the  Lord 
I've  taken  a  maid  from  another 
place;  I've  told  you  over  and  over 
again,  I'm  none  taken  with  these 
lurgy  women  hereabouts,  giddy 
43 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

heads  with  no  sense  nor  no  fling  in 
'em.  I'm  going  to  have  forty  winks 
now,  and  so  let's  leave  Janet  to  her 
self!  Her  '11  be  back  betimes  and 
her  '11  find  me  as  mum  as  a  gurnard 
if  I  don't  take  care.  Don't  you  mind 
the  sharp  things  I've  said  to  you. 
I'm  not  exactly  to-day.  There's 
a  gale  o'  wind  brewing,  I  believe, 
and  that  always  stirs  my  bile  a  bit, 
since  I've  had  to  be  indoors." 

With  this  apology  he  leaned  back 
in  his  chair  and  closed  his  eyes,  a 
bit  of  "play-acting"  he  indulged 
in  when  he  wanted  to  escape  his 
mother's  chatter.  She  slowly  pulled 
herself  together  and  began  to  collect 
and  wash  up  the  tea-things,  ponder 
ing  in  her  old-fashioned  way  on  the 
perversity  of  young  blood. 


44 


CHAPTER  II 


CHAPTER  II 

Steve  Trenoweth,  after  his  com 
plaint  to  his  mother  that  he  was  in 
need  of  sleep,  let  his  head  drop  on 
his  breast  and  gradually  sank  into  a 
quiet  doze;  but  in  between  the  wak 
ing  and  sleeping  he  thought  about 
Janet,  and  wondered  in  a  dim  way 
what  kind  of  power  had  got  posses 
sion  of  him  to  have  altered  his  life 
so  oddly.  When  Janet  came  near 
him  it  was  as  if  all  gentle  and  strong 
influences  had  come  with  her.  It 
always  bewildered  him  that  he  never 
tired  of  her,  never  ceased  feeling 
towards  her  as  if  he  had  but  newly 
loved  her.  One  of  his  mates  had 
once  told  him  that  it  was  against 
47 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

nature  for  him  and  his  sort  to  live 
always  with  the  same  woman,  and 
he  added  that  with  his  wife  he  had  to 
pretend  every  now  and  then  that  she 
was  not  married  to  him,  and  for 
this  purpose  he  took  off  her  wedding 
ring  and  acted  like  a  lover  to  her  in 
order  to  stimulate  his  old  passion 
for  her.  Steve  never  felt  the  need 
to  lash  up  his  old  romance  for  Janet; 
it  never  ceased  spurring  him,  and 
he  dwelt  in  the  heaven  and  hell  of 
an  absorption  which  at  times  seemed 
to  threaten  his  reason.  At  first  he 
thought  Janet  had  bewitched  him 
when  he  found  that  a  subtler  passion 
followed  on  the  mere  physical  spell 
of  the  early  days;  for  he  had  seen 
so  many  of  his  mates  bewitched  and 
befooled  by  the  fortnight,  or  by  the 
year,  and  get  over  it,  as  they  did  a 
fever.  They  always  settled  down 
to  a  good-humoured  married  life, 
48 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

neither  drunk  nor  starved  as  far  as 
love  was  concerned,  and  they  laugh 
ed  knowingly  at  the  first  love  frenzy 
in  others,  which  they  reckoned  to 
be  the  way  of  young  boys,  colts, 
and  soldiers. 

But  Janet  had  curiously  become 
as  his  actual  daily  bread  to  Tren- 
oweth,  until  at  times  he  felt  he  was 
enslaved  by  his  absorption  and  no 
longer  his  own  master.  He  was  rest 
less  away  from  her,  at  rest  with  her, 
and  in  both  cases  he  was  often  puz 
zled  at  the  spell  over  him,  which  he 
could  not  analyse  or  withstand. 
His  depression  when  she  was  not 
with  him  for  an  interval,  on  seeing 
her  again  was  often  followed  by  a 
mood  of  exultation,  which  in  his 
homely  way  he  compared  to  "the 
feelin'  a  man  has  when  he've  saved 
a  poor  devil  from  the  sea  and  he 
finds  hisself  warm  and  happy  be- 
49 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

tween  white  sheets  again."  Every 
morning  when  he  wakened  he  thank 
ed  God  she  lay  by  his  side.  To  feel 
her  breathing  near  him  soothed  him 
to  a  quiet  happiness  which  rarely 
grew  less.  She  had  educated  him  as 
love  alone  can  educate.  He  knew 
little  or  nothing  of  books — nor  did 
she;  but  the  very  scent  of  woman 
hood,  which  seemed  to  lull  his  baser 
passions  as  she  moved  near  him, 
set  him  thinking  about  matters  which 
had  never  before  entered  his  head. 
He  knew  nothing  about  modern 
problems — how  could  he?  His  first 
problem  had  been  how  to  fill  his  own 
stomach.  His  second,  how  to  feed 
his  mother;  and  before  he  had  solved 
these  two  the  third  problem,  which 
of  course  he  never  recognised  as  one 
at  all,  appeared  to  him  when  he  was 
working  in  the  mines  near  Barrow, 
in  the  shape  of  this  woman,  Janet 
50 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

Nelson,  with  whom  he  fell  in  love, 
and  whom  he  wooed  with  a  strength 
and  tenacity  of  purpose  which  be 
wildered  her.  Being  a  strong,  capa 
ble  Lancashire  lass,  she  had  several 
lovers,  as  " wenches'*  always  had  who 
had  any  "grit"  in  them;  but  Steve 
Trenoweth's  southern  ways,  which, 
like  the  modulations  at  the  end  of 
his  sentences,  charmed  her  native 
artistic  sense  with  a  feeling  of  grace 
and  refinement,  at  last  won  her.  She 
was  swept  away  by  his  sincere  pas 
sion  for  her,  and  the  twitting  of  her 
companions,  who  called  her  "chap" 
a  "toff,"  only  increased  the  attrac 
tion  towards  the  sober,  tender,  and 
yet  passionate  lover  who  came  to  her 
with  none  of  the  vulgar  swagger  or 
selfish  bombast  of  the  men  around 
her,  who  worshipped  money  and 
money-getting  more  than  women. 
Six  years  ago  he  had  fought  for  her 
51 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

and  won  her.  Two  years  after  their 
marriage,  he  came  back  to  his  old 
Cornish  home  and  accepted  a  vacant 
place  in  one  of  the  few  mines  still 
offering  regular  work  in  Cornwall. 

Almost  immediately  upon  his  re 
turn  to  his  old  associations  and  work, 
when  in  full  health  and  pay,  an  acci 
dent  paralysed  him,  and  he  felt  him 
self  at  times  almost  like  a  dead  man. 
Janet  had  to  mother  him  now, 
sometimes  almost  to  nurse  him  like 
a  child  and  carry  him  from  chair  to 
sofa  in  her  strong  arms.  The  ten 
der  and  protecting  influence  came 
now  from  the  woman  to  the  man, 
for  her  old  powerful  sweetheart 
was  no  longer  able  to  guard  her;  he 
had  to  endure  a  cripple's  life  with  its 
physical  drawbacks.  The  virile  lov 
er  was  laid  aside,  and  Nature,  as  if  in 
revenge  for  her  thwarted  plan,  had 
pressed  the  subtler  spiritual  laws  of 
52 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

love-life  into  the  fore-ground,  and 
made  the  mental  war  against  the 
physical,  until  the  poor  human,  with 
his  pipe,  his  net-making  and  his 
mother,  presented  a  sorry  spectacle 
to  those  who  had  known  him  as  a 
strong,  capable  worker  and  organi 
ser. 

It  was  this  subtle  transformation 
in  the  man  and  the  lover  which  made 
him  at  times  unable  to  tell  if  he  had 
more  pleasure  or  pain  in  this  love 
of  his.  It  tormented  him  on  the 
days  when  he  watched  Janet's  strong 
young  face  brighten  as  some  wel 
come  outsider  poured  out  news  or 
told  of  some  village  frolic;  he  felt 
then  that  he  was  old,  grey,  and  stu 
pid,  and  she — well,  she  seemed  to 
him  like  a  seagull  and  a  mermaid 
in  one,  meant  to  fly,  dash,  strike 
out  and  fulfil  herself  in  ways  he  could 
not  understand.  He  smoked  the 
53 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

matter  in  his  pipe,  he  said  to  him 
self  sometimes,  but  the  tobacco  gave 
out  before  he  could  arrive  at  any 
definite  consolation  or  conclusion. 
Then,  as  he  pondered  over  it  once 
more,  she  would  come  and  nestle 
close  to  him  and  caress  him  in  her 
strong  womanly  way,  lay  her  long 
firm  hands  on  his  shoulders,  and  tell 
him  what  a  good  fellow  he  was,  and 
then  he  felt  happy,  very  happy, — 
until  the  devil  put  it  into  his  head 
to  argue  with  himself  that  if  she  had 
told  him  he  was  a  bad  lot,  but  that 
she  loved  him — the  bad  lot — better 
than  anything  else  in  the  world,  he 
would  have  been  really  happy  and 
for  a  long  time.  Once  as  they  sat 
together  after  the  old  dame  had  gone 
to  bed  she  had  looked  at  him  in  a 
strange  way,  and  her  face  seemed 
tired  and  a  little  pale,  too,  and  he 
had  put  his  arm  out,  and  rubbed  the 
54 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

back  of  his  hairy  hand  on  her  smooth 
long  fingers,  and  lingered  over  the 
one  where  the  ring  told  him  he  was 
safe.  She  turned  round  suddenly 
and  threw  her  strong  arm  round  his 
neck  and  held  him  so  tightly  that 
the  pressure  hurt  him,  and  she  said 
thickly: 

"I  wonder  what  I'd  do  without 
thee,  lad;*'  and  he  could  not  answer 
her,  for  it  was  as  if  his  very  blood 
had  danced  in  his  flesh.  She  rarely 
said  words  like  that;  her  northern 
training  expressed  itself  more  in 
tender  action  than  words,  and  she 
could  rarely  speak  when  she  felt 
deeply. 

Steve  hungered  often  for  a  rough 
Lancashire  love  speech,  but  it  seldom 
came.  He  had  grown  very  restless 
these  last  two  years;  he  wondered 
if  books  or  clever  people  could  help 
him  over  one  or  two  puzzles  which  be- 
55 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

wildered  him.  He  was  growing 
afraid  of  the  silence  Janet  always 
kept,  about  having  no  child;  he  felt 
nervous  about  it,  as  he  might  of  a 
ghost.  Her  reserve,  and  her  joy 
less  laughter  over  trivialities,  which 
he  had  noticed  at  times,  worried 
him,  and  he  dared  not  question  her 
for  fear  of  putting  his  own  dread  into 
her  mind  in  case  his  suspicions  were 
only  the  result  of  his  doting  passion. 
The  real  trouble  lay  in  the  knowledge 
that  grew  upon  him  in  some  unde 
fined  way,  that  the  woman  was  more 
than  his  match;  that  she  was  hiding 
her  real  self  away  from  him. 

The  girls  with  whom  he  had 
flirted,  the  women  familiarity  had 
led  him  to  understand — his  mother, 
for  instance — were  not  like  Janet. 
They  had  no  inflexions,  no  modula 
tions  worth  speaking  of;  they  were 
within  the  octave,  as  it  were,  and  an 
56 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

occasional  tuning  up  at  Christmas, 
at  Feast  times,  or  when  a  revival 
took  place,  was  all  they  needed  to 
keep  them  both  healthy  and  vir 
tuous.  Love  had  sharpened  Treno- 
weth's  wits,  and  he  was  puzzled 
about  Janet's  nature,  until  he  had 
once  or  twice  come  nearly  to  the 
point  of  having  a  talk  with  the  par 
son,  of  whom  he  stood  in  awe  as 
more  or  less  belonging  to  the  '  'gen 
try,  "  to  whom  a  poor  man  could  not 
easily  pour  out  his  human  difficul 
ties.  He  felt  it  would  be  a  good  deal 
easier  to  beg  for  parish  relief  than  to 
ask  advice  on  a  subject  he  had  pon 
dered  over  until  it  had  become  a 
part  of  Janet  in  his  thoughts,  and 
would  not  bear  talking  over,  any 
more  than  the  big  brown  mole  un 
der  her  breast.  He  smoked  and 
made  his  nets  and  cursed  himself  for 
a  doubting  fool  when  he  felt  an  icy 
57 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

shiver  run  over  him  as  he  said  to 
himself:  "Her's  above  the  likes  of 
we — she'll  find  it  out  one  day,  and 
then — well,  what  then?"  These  re 
flections  generally  ended  in  his  de 
claring  with  astounding  emphasis 
that  Janet  belonged  to  him  and  to 
him  alone,  and  he  was  but  a  poor- 
hearted  fellow  to  addle  his  brains 
with  silly  fears. 

One  day,  after  an  hour  spent  in 
thinking  over  these  things,  he  had 
suddenly  called  out  gruffly:  "Come 
here,  wench,  and  kiss  your  lawful 
man;  we're  spliced  for  good,  mind, 
as  you  women  say  up  along;  you 
can't  get  out  of  it,  Janet,  my  lass." 
Janet  had  pondered  over  this  speech 
and  wondered  if  Steve  would  ever 
become  like  Nathan  Treweeke,  who 
ordered  his  woman  about  as  if  she 
had  neither  soul  nor  body  of  her  own, 
and  at  last  gave  her  two  black  eyes 
58 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

in  the  endeavour  to  prove  that  man 
is  made  on  purpose  to  master  a  wo 
man,  and  after  that  to  praise  God  and 
glorify  Him  for  ever. 

Steve  Trenoweth  had  never  spoken 
so  strongly  or  at  such  length  in  his 
life  as  he  had  to  his  mother  that  af 
ternoon,  and  the  mental  effort  had 
exhausted  him.  He  dozed  as  he 
thought  over  Janet  and  longed  for 
her  return.  His  brain  and  spine 
seemed  alive  and  as  if  tiny  hot  in 
sects  were  crawling  over  him,  and 
picking  with  teeth  like  needle-points 
the  very  marrow  out  of  his  bones. 
His  manhood  and  his  self-control 
seemed  to  be  fast  ebbing  away, 
and  he  felt  that  if  he  did  not  see 
Janet  he  should  soon  be  "mazed." 
His  wife  had  been  gone  a  day  and  a 
night,  but  it  seemed  weeks  to  Steve. 
She  left  home  so  rarely  that  he 
thought  when  she  had  gone  that  he 
59 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

had  some  idea  of  what  it  would  be 
like  if  she  died,  or  he  died, — for  he 
could  never  imagine  that  even  in 
heaven  he  could  be  anything  but 
lost  and  "leery"  without  Janet. 

Steve  scarcely  realised  how  his 
whole  religion  had  been  uncon 
sciously  modified  and  in  some  re 
spects  utterly  changed  through  his 
love  for  this  woman  Janet.  The 
world,  which  he  once  affected  to 
look  upon  as  a  mere  temporary  dwel 
ling  place,  had  become  his  heaven, 
simply  because  Janet  moved  in  it. 
The  Golden  Jerusalem,  the  judg 
ment  seat,  and  the  harp  and  crown 
which  had  always  formed,  as  a  good 
Wesleyan,  a  background  to  his  image 
of  God  and  Christ,  had  imaged 
themselves  very  faintly  in  these 
latter  years,  and  he  had  once,  in  a 
state  of  half  waking  and  sleeping, 
caught  himself  imagining  heaven 
60 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

with  a  woman  on  the  Throne,  croon 
ing  to  little  children  who  were  play 
ing  at  her  feet.  It  was  getting  in 
deed  time  that  Clibby  Steve  should 
consult  his  "leader,"  for  Love  and 
Religion  were  becoming  hopelessly 
entangled  in  his  simple  brain.  Jan 
et  being  a  churchwoman  had  got 
into  touch  with  the  parish  treats, 
and  this  had  added  to  the  feeling 
against  her  in  her  mother-in-law 
and  the  gossips  of  the  village,  who 
looked  upon  their  chapels  as  the 
meeting  place  where  the  worship  of 
God  was  the  least  conspicuous  part 
of  the  ritual.  The  newest  styles 
in  dress  and  manners  and  the  silent 
flirtations  made  the  Sabbath  a  day 
of  rejoicing  more  than  prayer,  and 
Steve  made  up  his  mind  that  if  he 
went  to  a  parson  about  his  difficul 
ties  it  should  not  be  one  of  his  own 
sect. 

61 


CHAPTER  III 


CHAPTER  III 

"Who  be  there?  Come  in,  if  you 
please,"  called  Mother  Trenoweth, 
as  a  knock  was  heard  at  the  door. 
"Oh!  be  it  you,  Loveday?  Well, 
my  dear,  I'm  real  glad  to  see  you. 
Sit  ye  down.  It  be  so  mortal  dull 
at  times  here  that  I'm  right  glad  to 
have  a  neighbour  drop  in.  Sit  ye 
down — take  a  chair  in  front  o'  the 
fire."  Then,  as  she  caught  sight  of 
her  neighbour's  face,  she  said  quick 
ly,  "Why,  what's  wrong  with  you, 
woman?" 

"  What's  wrong?  My  gosh !  What's 
right,  you  might  be  asking!  Be 
Janet  in?"  Loveday  Penberthy 
peered  round  the  room  as  she  asked 
the  question,  and  seeing  Trenoweth 
65 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

apparently  asleep,  she  smiled  and 
jerked  her  thumb  in  an  interroga 
tive  way  over  her  shoulder  towards 
the  door  by  which  she  had  just  en 
tered,  at  which  gesture  Mother  Tren- 
oweth  shook  her  head,  and  sighed 
wearily:  "Lordy!  my  dear,  her 
bean't  back  yet." 

"My  blessed  life!"ejaculated  Love- 
day,  the  gossip  and  ne'er-do-weel  of 
the  village;  "I  be  near  faintin',  that 
I  be;  I  can  hardly  stand  upright 
at  all" — to  prove  which  she  leaned 
her  stout  person  against  the  end  of 
the  window  seat,  folded  her  large 
bare  arms,  rested  them  on  her  ca 
pacious  stomach,  and  let  all  her 
weight  fall  on  one  leg  in  her  endeav 
our  to  ease  both  mind  and  body. 

"Whatever  be  the  matter,  Love- 
day?  Is  Jan  not  so  well  agin?" 

"Oh!  brother  Jan!  he  be  right 
enough,  and  if  he  warn't  I  don't 
66 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

know  as  I'd  fret  over  much  about 
he.  Lazy  lump!  He  don't  earn 
tuppence  a  week  all  told,  and  I've 
to  go  down  along  o'  Mazes  to  wash 
and  char  and  do  coddles  for  him  to 
guzzle  hisself  out  with  baccy  and 
meat.  I'll  have  you  know,  Mrs. 
Trenoweth,  that  I'm  fairly  done 
for." 

"Mazes,"  said  the  old  woman, 
"Mazes?  Who  be  they  then?  But 
sit  ye  down,  Loveday,  sit  ye  down, 
woman  and  tell  me  all  about  it." 

"I'm  feared  I  shall  be  upsetting 
of  Steve  there." 

"No,  you  won't;  sit  ye  down 
and  don't  mind  me;  mag  on  a 
bit — it'll  do  the  old  un  good. 
What's  wrong  with  you,  now?" 
asked  Steve  quietly  from  the  corner, 
for  Loveday's  loud  voice  had  brought 
him  back  to  ordinary  matters. 
67 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

"Why!  I'm  fair  befoolt  with  them 
up-along  folks,  them  as  have  took 
Maister  Lander's  house  up  by  the 
south  cove.  I  can't  tell  what  be 
coming  to  pass — them  strangers  do 
seem  to  torment  the  life  and  soul 
out  of  we  dacent  folks,  with  their 
flash  notions  and  lurgy  ways  and"- 
with  a  sneer — "as  mean,  my  dear, 
as  mean  as  misards,  every  one  of 
them  sort." 

"They've  sent  for  you  then  to  do 
their  chars  for  'em?"  asked  the  old 
woman. 

"My  Lord!  I  should  just  think 
they  had." 

Loveday  threw  up  her  head  and 
sniffed  the  air  with  impatient  scorn. 
She  had  taken  off  her  flat  black  hat 
and  thrown  it  on  the  floor,  when  she 
caught  sight  of  the  door  which  was 
being  slowly  opened  from  outside. 
68 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

"Here  comes  Nan  Curtis;  she'll 
tell  you  about  Mazes,  for  she  had 
one  of  'em  lodging  with  her  once't." 

Nan  Curtis  opened  the  door  and 
peeped  into  the  room  in  the  familiar 
way  neighbours  have  with  one  an 
other.  She  stepped  into  the  house 
place,  and  sat  on  a  bench  opposite 
Steve,  with  a  friendly  though  rough 
greeting  to  him. 

"How  be  you,  old  man?" 
"'Bout  same,  Nan — thank  ye." 
Nan   wore   a  white  sun   bonnet, 
which  partially  shaded  her  rough, 
bony  face;    the  skin  was  yellow  and 
coarse,   and  but  for  an   expression 
of  intense  animation  she  would  have 
been  positively  repellant  in  her  ug 
liness.      She     continually     exposed 
large  yellow  tusks,  for  she  seemed  to 
yapp  like  a  dog  as  she  talked;    the 
same  sound  did  duty  for  a  laugh  or  a 
grunt  of  disapproval.     She  sat  square 
69 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

and  taut,  braced  up  for  a  scold  or  a 
kind  of  rattlesnake  gossip  at  any 
hour.  She  was  always  clean  and 
even  prim  in  her  dress,  and  her 
shrewish  tendencies  and  quick  re 
torts  made  her  respected  and  at  the 
same  time  feared  by  her  slow  and 
easy-living  neighbours.  She  and 
Loveday  were  great  cronies,  for 
they  met  on  a  common  ground; 
both  kept  their  native  vindictive- 
ness  on  the  surface  and  both  were 
willing  at  any  hour  to  do  a  real  ser 
vice  for  a  neighbour.  Many  a  racy 
story,  by  which  the  general  world  is 
the  loser,  did  these  two  women  tell 
one  another  over  two-pennyworth  of 
the  best  gin.  If  ridicule  and  denun 
ciation  could  have  re-constructed  a 
community,  Loveday  and  Nan  would 
have  managed  the  whole  task  over 
one  noggin  of  the  best  Plymouth. 
Nan  sat  opposite  Steve,  and  smooth- 
70 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

ed  out  her  clean  apron  over  her  dark 
green  dress  with  her  small  energetic 
hands.  Her  upright,  defiant  atti 
tude  and  her  straight  bust,  which 
did  not  seem  to  offer  either  tender 
ness  or  forgiveness  to  the  fallen  or 
strayed,  suggested  a  grim,  stern  hu 
mour,  and  a  stolid  common  sense 
which  contrasted  strongly  with  Love- 
day's  lazy  slouch,  ill-kempt  hair  and 
voluminous  bosom,  which  scandal 
declared  had  more  than  once  bidden 
welcome  to  vagrant  lovers.  Nan 
turned  to  Loveday,  and  preened  her 
self  for  a  tale  of  woe  and  frolic  in 
one. 

"What's  that  you  was  saying, 
Loveday?  Be  you  on  the  Mazes' 
tack?  Lord!  You've  been  to  char 
for  'em — ain't  ye?" 

A  toss  of  the  head  was  all  the  an 
swer  Loveday  gave,  but  she  looked 
fixedly  at  her  friend  for  a  moment, 
71 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

and  then  winked,  at  which  the  other 
yapped. 

"They  be  parties — sure  enough. 
How  did  they  sarve  you,  then?" 

"Sarve  me!  Why,  woman — they 
sarved  me  so  spicey  that  I  can't 
sit  down,  I'm  that  sore."  She  rub 
bed  affectionately  the  afflicted  por 
tion  of  her  body,  and  coughed  as 
she  saw  Steve  smiling  to  himself 
in  the  corner.  "My  dear  life!  I 
can't  even  move  my  arm  .to  my  head, 
I'm  that  stiff;  I  can't  think  what  up- 
along  folks  think  we's  made  of — • 
now!" — settling  down  into  a  heap 
in  order  to  tell  her  tale  with  more 
ease.  "Just  listen!  I  goes  to  them 
Mazes  fust  thing  in  the  mornin', 
and  then  it's  fust  one  thing  and  then 
it's  another,  clack  and  clatter  from 
daybreak  to  midnight.  My  dear" 
— with  a  loud  laugh  and  address 
ing  Nan — "they  do  belong  to  have 
72 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

their  knives  cleaned  with  some  stuff 
or  another  every  day,  every  blessed 
mornin',  I  tell  you,  and  I've  got  to 
shine  their  blooming  shoes,  not 
once't  a  week,  mind  ye,  but  every 
day." 

"Lordy,  Lordy!"  sang  the  old 
dame,  "would  you  believe  it,  then? 
One  'd  almost  think  they  made  a 
particular  habit  of  finding  mud  to 
dirty  'em.  It  ain't  exactly  seem 
ly,  seems  to  me,  to  dirt  all  over 
your  shoes  every  day;  I  shouldn't  a 
thought  gentry  would  act  so  like 
working  folks." 

"Gentry!  they  sort  gentry?  My 
blessed!  They  ain't  no  gen  try!  They 
do  save  up  every  crumble,  and  be 
cause  they  can  hitch  up  a  veil  to 
their  hats  of  Sundays  they  looks 
down  on  we  folks  as  has  to  work  for 
'em.  Darned  upstarts!  That's 
what  they  be."  She  beat  her  foot 
73 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

impatiently  on  the  brick  floor  and 
looked  envious. 

"You  be  right  there,  Loveday. 
They  sort  makes  their  money  up 
along  and  comes  down  along  to  save 
it  on  we.  Well,  what  else  had  you 
to  do?" 

"Why,  it's  all  fetchin'  and 
carryin'  and  bowin'  and  scrapin' — 
and  they  expects  a  blooming  lot 
of  mag  with  it,  too.  They's  for 
ever  'begging  pardin',  and  wants  me 
to  do  the  same  most  all  day  and  for 
nothing  too.  I  can't  make  it  out. 
If  they  hutch  up  too  close  to  one 
another  they  smirks  thisards" — imi 
tating  an  inclination  of  the  head  and 
a  slow  drawl — "  'begging  of  your 
pardin!' — Lawks!  look  at  the  old 
un;  her's  doing  it  too,"  for  the  old 
woman  was  so  keenly  following  Love- 
day's  tale  that  she  had  unconsciously 
smirked  and  made  a  movement  with 
74 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

her  lips.  "It's  all  enough  to  turn 
your  stomach,  and  I  said  right  out 
once't  that  I'd  beg  no  pardins  to 
no  one  for  doing  no  wrong  to  'em! 
I  knows  gentry,  Clibby  Steve," 
with  a  direct  look  at  the  cripple, 
"I  know  'em  well  enough  when  I 
see  'em — and  if  I  do  any  person  a 
hurt  I'm  not  so  over-proud  but 
what  I'll  say  I'm  sorry  for  it,  that 
is,  if  I  be  sorry,  you  know" — with 
an  apologetic  smile  at  Nan — "but 
they  must  be  real  gentry  if  I'm  to 
bend  my  pride  to  them,  and  not 
upstarts  as  can't  fairly  pay  for  a 
drop  of  milk  when  they've  drunk 
it." 

A  loud  laugh  came  from  Nan  at 
this  point,  for  she  knew  the  farm 
where  the  milk  was  bought,  and  she 
could  back  Loveday's  assertion  with 
another  tale  about  unpaid  debts. 

"Yes!  Yes!  but  what's  the  good 
75 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

of  keep  begging  pardin',  Loveday; 
what's  it  for  at  all?"  asked  the  old 
woman. 

"Something  to  do,  I  should  reck 
on.  I  told  Mrs.  Maze  pretty  quick 
that  I  warn't  going  to  beg  pardins 
to  no  one,  and  that  her  blood  and 
mine,  I  guessed,  was  mostly  of  the 
same  colour — both  on  us  seemingly 
has  red  blood  in  us  and  not  black, 
leastways  I  ain't  none  inside  of  me — 
and  then  I  up  and  told  her  if  anyone 
was  to  beg  pardins,  it  was  she  and 
not  me.  Yes!  I  did,"  emphati 
cally,  for  there  was  an  incredulous 
smile  creeping  over  Nan's  face.  "I 
just  up  and  said  them  very  words 
to  her,  and  why?" 

Loveday  drew  her  chair  closer 
to  the  fire  and  crossed  her  legs. 

"Would  you  believe  it  of  the  mean 
woman?  They  had  a  roast  sent  in 
to  the  dining  room  for  theirselves, 
76 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

and  what  do  you  think  was  put 
abroad  on  the  table  for  me?"  point 
ing  with  a  fat  finger  to  her  capa 
cious  chest. 

"Nay!  I  canna  guess/'  said  the 
old  woman,  whose  eyes  gleamed  at 
this  rare  chance  of  village  gossip. 
"What  were  it  then?" 

"Heavy  cake,  I  should  say/' 
snarled  Nan,  whose  experiences  in 
the  gluttony  of  lodgers  and  "up- 
along"  people  was  sad. 

"No,  woman;  it  weren't  even  that. 
It  were  a  rusty  herrin'  and  a  bit  o' 
stale  bread." 

"Lordy,  Lordy!  did  anybody  ever 
hear  the  likes  o'  that,  but  I've  al 
ways  heard  that  strangers  and  ar 
tists  be  very  sparey,"  said  Mother 
Trenoweth. 

"Divil  take  the  bastely  misards," 
grunted  Nan.     "What  did  you  do? 
Did  you  eat  it  at  all?" 
77 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

"Eat  it?"  with  a  fine  scorn.  "I 
just  took  it  right  under  her  nose  when 
her'd  corned  out  of  the  dining  room, 
stuffed  full  of  flesh  meat,  and  I  said 
to  her:  'Here,  missis!  yer  cat  must 
be  a  stranger,  too,  I  reckon!  Her 
don't  take  to  rusty  herrin's  neither — 
do  she?  Her's  waiting  seemly  for 
the  roast,  I'm  thinking.'  ' 

Loveday  clasped  her  hands  around 
her  crossed  knee  and  chuckled. 

"Drat  ye!  Did  you  say  that  for 
sure?"  cried  Nan. 

"Yes!  sure  enough  that  I  did,  to 
try  for  to  shame  her.  And  that's 
not  all,  my  girl,"  and  Loveday  clap 
ped  her  hands  and  changed  the  posi 
tion  of  her  legs.  She  screwed  up 
her  eyes  as  if  in  pain  as  she  did  this; 
winked  and  nodded  to  the  two  wom 
en  and  looked  across  at  Steve.  "I 
can  scarce  move  easy  yet;  it's  the 
butter-making  and  the  scrubbing 
78 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

all  to  once't.  Think  of  a  shilling 
a  day  for  to  char  and  rub  and  scrub 
and  make  butter  as  well.  You 
know  I  can  wash  well  enough;  I've 
done  it  anyways  for  the  last  fif 
teen  year  and  more — eh,  Nan?" 

"That  you  can,  my  dear,"  an 
swered  Nan,  "and  git  the  dirt  out 
o'  the  clothes  without  any  muck 
put  in  the  water  to  rend  'em  abroad 
as  soon  as  they're  on  a  body's  back 
again.  Didna  your  washing  suit 
'em  neither?" 

Loveday  put  her  hands  to  her 
sides  and  laughed  loudly. 

"Oh!  my  Lord!  I'll  leave  you 
know  a  thing  or  two.  If  Steve 
there  don't  like  what  I'm  going  to 
say,  I  can't  help  it,  but  somehow  now 
I  always  look  on  you  more  like  a 
woman  than  a  man,  with  always  be 
ing  in  and  listening  to  our  mag — - 
eh?"  She  looked  kindly  at  Steve. 
79 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

"Yes!  I  suppose  you  do.  I'm 
not  harking  much,  Loveday,  and  if 
you  don't  talk  too  loud  I  can't  hear 
you,  if  it's  summat  as  belongs  to 
women  folks." 

He  glanced  at  Loveday  with  a 
look  which  combined  repulsion  and 
familiarity. 

"Well!  my  dear,"  addressing  Nan, 
"after  I'd  got  through  all  them  chars, 
and  the  butter,  and  washed  and  dried 
and  mangled  all  the  clothes  (it  took 
me  three  days'  slavin'  like  a  nigger, 
till  I'm  a  mass  of  sores,  I  tell  you, 
what  do  you  think  that  pert  Miss 
Maze  had  to  say  to  it  all?  My 
blessed  life!  She  corned  into  me  like 
this  if  you  please." 

Loveday  got  up  and  mimicked 
fine  ladydom  so  well  that  all  three 
shouted  with  laughter,  and  Steve 
chuckled  as  he  called  for  more  tobac 
co. 

80 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

"  Ten!'  (the  cheek  of  she  cutting 
my  name  in  two  like  that) — 'Pen!' 
says  she,"  and  the  rough  loud  voice 
rose  to  a  mincing  treble,  "  *y°u  have 
not  starched  the  legs  o'  my  drawses, 
and  Ma  and  me  always  likes  our 
laces  starched/  Now!  what  do  you 
think  of  that  for  lustful  pride?" 

"My  dear  life!"  from  Nan.  "You 
can't  mean  that,  sure  enough!"  She 
rocked  backwards  and  forwards  and 
showed  her  large  yellow  tusks  with 
delight  and  amazement. 

"Did  you  ever!  Oh!  my  patience 
on  us!  starch  in  their  drawses! 
Well!  well!  they  be  up-along  no 
tions!" 

"And  that  ain't  all,"  amicably 
continued  Loveday,  "but  it's  the 
same  with  the  lace  on  their  night 
shifts  too,  and  all  sorts  of  different 
clothes  as  they  do  wear;  it  ain't 
only  in  the  legs  of  their  drawses, 
81 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

I  can  tell  you/'  with  a  mysterious 
wink  at  Nan. 

"Lordy,  Lordy!  I  wonder  they  can 
sleep  in  comfort,"  said  the  old  wo 
man,  moving  her  neck  from  side  to 
side  as  if  she  could  feel  the  stiff  laces 
like  a  halter  round  her  throat. 

"What  did  you  say  to  her  when 
she'd  asked  you  to  do  such  an  unbe 
known  thing  'as  that,  Loved  ay?" 
queried  Nan.  Loveday  had  seated 
herself  again  and  was  gazing  with 
the  air  of  a  conquering  heroine  into 
the  fire. 

"I  said  to  her,  'Starch  in  drawses, 
Miss  Maze?' — Eduth,  her  maiden 
name  be,  and  after  that  I'd  a  real 
mind  to  call  her  that  to  her  face. 
'Yes!'  says  I  to  her— 'yes!  I'll  put 
starch  in  your  drawses,  and  all  over 
'em  too!'" 

"Oh!  Oh!  Oh!  Darn  ye!"  from 
Nan.  "That's  one  of  the  best  you've 
82 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

ever  given  them  sort,  Loveday. 
They  can't  get  to  the  windward  of 
you.  What  did  the  fool  say  to  you 
then?" 

"Well,"  answered  Loveday,  mod 
estly,  "I'm  not  altogether  sure  she 
heard  that  last,  else  she  didn't  quite 
pick  out  what  the  meaning  of  it 
were,  but  she  went  to  the  cupboard 
and  gave  me  the  starch,  and,"  with 
a  broad  grin,  "she's  got  starch  enough 
in  her  drawses  now  as' 11  let  her  know 
what  my  body  do  feel  like  after 
doin'  chars  enough  for  a  month  for 
one  day's  pay." 

"Up-along  folks  ain't  all  so  near 
as  Mazes  be,  Loveday,  you  must 
mind  that.  Do  you  recollect  that 
poor  devil  Macnab  as  lodged  with 
me  last  winter?  I  tended  him  like 
my  own  child.  He'd  no  sich  ways 
along  o'  him,  I  can  tell  you.  He  was 
83 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

as  free  to  help  you  as  to  laugh  at 
you,  but  sickly,  sure  enough. " 

Nan  took  the  corner  of  her  white 
apron  and  blew  her  nose  vigorous- 

ly- 

"I  did  take  to  that  feller,  and  I'm 
miserable  many  a  time  when  I  do 
think  of  him,  poor  fule." 

"What's  become  of  him  since  he 
went  to  foreign  parts?"  asked  Love- 
day. 

"My  gosh!  ain't  I  never  told  you? 
Well!  well!  I  believe  I  took  it 
pretty  hard  and  said  nothing  of  it 
for  long  enough.  My  blessed  life! 
he  be  turned  into  a  pepper-dredge, 
so  I've  heard !"  She  beat  the  ground 
quickly  and  fiercely  with  her  foot 
as  she  continued  in  an  injured  tone: 

"That's  a  poor  enough  end  for  a 
fellow  to  come  to  after  all  the  slav 
ing  I  did  for  him.  I've  rubbed  that 
man's  back,  which  was  nothin'  to 
84 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

begin  with  but  a  loose  sack  full  of 
nails — and  I  have  rubbed  it  till 
it  were  blistered  many  a  time,  and 
made  him  coddles  enough  to  fright 
en  you,  to  tempt  his  appetite.  Old 
Nancy  Nanquitho's  stuff  did  noth 
ing  at  all  for  him,  I  don't  want  to  say 
nothing  for  to  dishearten  Steve  there, 
but  it  seems  to  me  that  that  sea 
weed  oil  is  nothing  but  a  snare  to 
trap  a  fool's  money." 

"P'raps  the  oil  bean't  much  worth 
for  a  decline,  Nan,"  answered  Steve. 
"It  be  good,  I  believe,  for  seizures 
and  rheumatics,  leastways  that's 
what  her's  told  Janet  that  it's  most 
ly  for." 

Loveday  winked  at  Nan  and  said 
surlily: 

"Some  folks  is  over  fond  of  jaw 
ing  to  your  woman,  Steve,  and  they 
do  feed  her  mind  with  untruths, 
I'm  fearing.  I  don't  believe  myself 
85 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

in  folks  living  in  huts  when  there's 
houses  near  by  to  be  had  for  almost 
nothing.  If  I  was  thee,  Steve,  I'd 
stop  Janet  from  going  too  much  with 
the  likes  of  Nancy  Nanquitho.  There 
be  folks  near  by  as  would  place  her 
character  in  the  bottom  of  a  beer 
mug  and  then  declare  you  couldn't 
find  it,  drunk  nor  sober." 

The  old  woman  clasped  her  hands 
and  turned  her  thumbs  one  over  the 
other  as  she  watched  her  son's  face, 
but  she  said  no  word  for  or  against 
the  old  witch  doctor. 

Steve  laughed. 

"Perhaps  the  woman  have  melted 
her  character  into  the  seaweed  stuff 
and  it'll  come  out  by  and  by  in  us. 
My  legs  is  better  for  it,  that  I'll 
swear.  There  be  a  damned  sight 
more  witches  living  in  houses  than 
in  huts,  let  me  tell  you." 

Nan  and  Loveday  laughed  at  this 
86 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

sharp  hit  at  the  village  women,  but 
the  old  dame  feared  that  they  were 
getting  on  dangerous  ground. 

"You  was  joking,  Nan,  surely, 
wasn't  ye,  when  you  said  as  Maister 
Macnab  was  made  into  a  pepper- 
dredge?" 

"No!  I  wasn't  joking  at  all!  not 
a  bit  of  it.  Some  feller  wrote  to 
one  of  them  artists  as  is  staying 
with  Jane  Hocking,  and  by  all  ac 
counts  he'd  seen  it  done  and  wrote 
to  tell  her  all  about  it." 

"My  blessed!"  grunted  Loveday, 
"it  do  sound  like  some  devil's  trick 
or  another;  I  should  have  thought 
the  police  would  have  stopped  such 
goings  on." 

"Don't  you  see,  Loveday,  my  dear, 
they  burnt  him  first;  took  him,  poor 
feller,  and  put  him  inside  of  a  big 
oven,  so  they  do  say,  and  fairly 
roasted  the  poor  devil  until — well — • 
87 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 


my  dear  life!  it's  awful  to  think 
on  it,  until  he  was  nothing  but  dust 
and  ashes  like  that  there!" — point 
ing  to  the  white  ash  from  the  burnt- 
out  wood  which  lay  in  a  heap  on  the 
red  tiles  of  the  hearth-place. 

"Lordy,  Lordy!  it  do  fair  make  a 
body's  flesh  go  crawly;  it's  worse 
than  murder,  seems  to  me,"  wailed 
Mother  Trenoweth.  "Yes!  so  it 
be.  I  lies  awake  at  nights  sometimes 
and  thinks  of  him  afore  he  went 
away,  and  I'm  forced  to  get  up  and 
take  a  drop  of  hot  ginger  to  soothe 
my  stomach.  The  thought  of  that 
dear  man  being  rent  limb  from  limb 
with  no  soul  by  to  save  him  makes 
all  the  wind  in  my  stomach  fly  to 
my  head.  They  say  as  after  he  was 
burnt  to  nothing,  as  you  might  say, 
they  took  what  was  left  of  him  and 
poured  it  into  a  pepper-drudge.  I 
could  hardly  credit  it,  but  they  as 
88 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

told  me  says  as  this  sort  of  burying 
is  coming  over  to  us  from  foreign 
parts,  but  I  don't  hardly  believe 
it." 

"Well!  I  hope  to  the  Lord  it 
won't  be  made  into  law  afore  I'm 
safely  under  the  ground.  I  should 
feel  as  shamed  as  a  maid  to  have 
strange  men  a-fingering  my  corpse, 
I  can  tell  you.  I  hope  I  may  be  or 
derly  and  becomin'ly  buried  when 
my  time  is  over,"  and  Loveday's 
big  eyes  looked  grave  and  nervous 
at  the  prospect  of  anything  but  a 
churchyard  grave. 

"I  do  fervently  hope  that  I  may 
have  a  proper  hearse  and  bearers," 
said  the  old  woman  solemnly.  "Lor- 
dy!  Lordy!  it  do  give  you  grave 
thoughts  upon  the  resurrection, 
neighbour,  when  you  do  think  of  a 
poor  body  being  ground  down  like 
snuff  as  that  poor  man  was  done  by. 
89 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

It  do  fairly  make  my  skin  crawl  to 
think  of  sich  a  thing!  Lordy!  Lor- 
dy!  have  mercy  upon  we!'*  and  her 
old  head  went  from  side  to  side  as 
she  thought  of  her  stocking  stored 
away  between  the  mattress  and  the 
tie  in  the  upstairs  room.  This  stock 
ing  was  nearly  full  of  silver  coins 
saved  from  "oddments,"  as  she  called 
the  gifts  given  to  her  by  the  district 
visitors,  and  also  the  pence  she  occa 
sionally  earned  for  sitting  to  stray 
artists.  Next  to  the  ambition  to 
have  a  grandchild,  came  her  wish 
to  have  a  decent  burial.  She  bright 
ened  many  a  weary  day  with  the 
thought  of  how,  thanks  to  her  fore 
sight  about  money  matters,  she 
would  be  carried  in  state  to  her  last 
resting-place,  amid  the  hushed  won 
der  of  her  neighbours,  in  a  hearse 
with  big,  black,  nodding  plumes. 
Steve  Trenoweth  became  half  un- 
90 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

conscious  of  the  gossip  of  the  women; 
his  eyes  rested  on  the  well-known 
line  of  coast  which  he  could  plainly 
see  through  the  window  from  his 
seat  in  the  chimney  corner.  Since 
his  illness  the  colour  and  life  of  the 
fishing  village  had  been  his  chief 
amusement;  he  could  watch  the 
herring  and  mackerel  boats  come  in, 
and  as  he  heard  the  clang  of  the  bell 
of  the  seller  he  knew  exactly  what 
chaffing  and  bartering  was  going  on, 
and  guessed  by  the  gestures  of  the 
men  the  state  of  the  market  on  the 
various  days  when  big  catches  were 
brought  in.  Just  now  he  vaguely 
heard  Nan  describing  how  she  had 
put  green  oil  on  her  lodger*  s  throat, 
how  three  doctor's  '"prints"  had  been 
administered  to  him  at  once  and  all 
had  failed  to  save  him,  and  the  voices 
seemed  far  away,  like  echoes  from  a 
distant  hill.  He  was  gazing  in- 
91 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

tently  at  a  young  sailor  on  the  beach 
who  was  throwing  up  a  big  ball, 
while  grouped  round  him  were  the 
lasses  and  lads  of  the  fishing  village 
alternately  jeering  and  cheering  him. 
His  lithe  body  and  quick  movements 
riveted  the  crippled  man,  whose 
muscles  tightened  with  each  suc 
cessful  catch  of  the  ball.  The  sun 
was  setting  behind  a  large  black 
rock;  the  water  rippled  and  shim 
mered  in  a  blue  listlessness  as  sky 
and  sea  mingled  into  one  colour. 
The  rough  slouching  figures  of  the 
idling  fishermen,  who  leaned  against 
the  posts  and  sea-wall  smoking  and 
chaffing,  became  transfigured  in  the 
golden  tints  of  the  sunset,  while  they 
woke  into  a  romantic  beauty  and 
freshness  the  loose-throated  bronzed 
and  stalwart  youngsters  who  had 
come  out  to  do  a  bit  of  courting  and 
idling  before  the  night  set  in.  Steve 
92 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

watched  the  colours  redden  and 
deepen,  and  was  soothed  at  the  scene 
before  him.  The  wavelets  crept  al 
most  noiselessly  on  the  beach  and 
seemed  to  lilt  a  love-song  to  him. 
The  village  gossip  near  him  grew 
faint,  and  he  felt  that  the  world 
after  all  was  a  fresh  flower-filled 
valley  where  a  man  could  rest  him 
self  and  love  his  fill.  The  swish- 
swash  of  the  sea,  and  the  laughing 
voices  of  the  men  and  maids,  gradu 
ally  drove  away  his  irritable  mood, 
and  he  smiled  happily  as  his  eyes 
rested  on  the  setting  sun,  and  noted 
how  the  light  sparkled  on  the  oars 
of  a  few  fisher  boats  idling  in  the 
bay.  The  brown  sails  of  one  or 
two  mackerel  skiffs  gave  a  sombre 
touch  to  the  blue  fairyland  before 
him.  Suddenly  his  fingers  clutched 
the  stem  of  his  pipe;  round  by  the 
harbour  he  had  tracked  the  slow, 
93 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

swinging  walk  of  a  woman,  and  he 
leaned  back  in  his  chair  and  hummed 
softly. 


94 


CHAPTER  IV 


CHAPTER  IV 

"Here!  My  blessed  life!  Steve! 
waken  up,  man!  I've  just  spied  thy 
woman  along  the  quay,"  said  Love- 
day,  sharply.  Then,  in  an  aside  to 
Mother  Trenoweth:  "And  time 
enough,  too,  I  should  say;  seems  to 
me  as  we  don't  know  all  as  goes  on 
over  them  weeds.  I  believe  it's 
mostly  a  passil  of  cunning,  and  that 
physic  ain't  none  in  it  at  all,  no!" 
with  a  twist  of  the  lips  and  a  rough 
laugh.  "I've  heered  a  sight  of 
things  I  shouldn't  care  to  speak  on 
of  Janet's  ways  with  strangers,  I 
can  tell  you." 

"Darn  you!"  interrupted  Nan. 
"Leave  the  woman  be;  devil  take 
ye,  Loveday!  if  her's  wrong,  well, 
97 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

her's  wrong  and  her  fault' 11  track 
her  sure  enough.  It  fair  turns  my 
blood  to  cabbage  water  to  always 
hear  the  unfavourablest  side  to  a 
woman's  name.  Leave  her  be,  I 
say,  and  don't  make  strife  in  anoth 
er  body's  house,"  with  a  side  look 
at  Steve,  who  was  quite  uncon 
scious  of  what  they  were  saying. 
Mother  Trenoweth  shook  her  head 
wearily. 

"Lordy!  Lordy!  I  always  feel 
myself  as  if  a  power  of  trouble  was 
a-coming  on  this  house.  I  do  say 
many  and  many  a  time  that  it  be 
poor  luck  for  a  man  to  take  a  wife 
from  up-along  strangers  who  don't 
worship  nor  yet  to  live  as  we  do 
hereabouts."  Then  in  a  lower  tone 
she  said  to  Loveday,  after  glancing 
at  the  unconscious  face  of  her  son: 

"Hark  you,  woman!  I  do  wonder 
what  you  have  heard  about  Janet; 
98 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

do  you  come  in  the  day  fur  a  cup  of 
tea,  and  while  I  be  fitting  of  it  up 
you  can  tell  me  all  about  it,  for  I  do 
hate  Steve's  wife  to  be  spoken  evil 
of  and  no  one  by  to  defend  her." 
Her  cunning  old  eyes  glanced  side 
ways  at  Loveday,  who  laughed  out 
right. 

"I  do  believe  myself  as  her  is 
nothing  short  of  a  bad  'un,  and  there's 
more  nor  one  as  '11  bear  that  out, 
sure  enough.  Well,  my  blessed! 
how  long  have  you  been  standing 
there,  Mrs.  Trenoweth?"  as  her 
eyes  rested  on  the  open  door  where 
Janet  stood.  All  three  women  start 
ed  guiltily  and  smiled  in  a  con 
strained  way  as  they  looked  round 
quickly  at  Steve,  who  was  wide 
awake  now.  "I've  just  come,"  said 
Janet. 

She  moved  into  the  middle  of  the 
kitchen,  and  as  she  stood  between 
99 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

the  door  and  the  window  the  last 
rays  of  the  setting  sun  lit  up  her 
strong  face  and  tall  figure  and 
seemed  to  throw  the  other  women 
into  shadow.  Her  loose  simple  gown 
of  blue  linen,  such  as  is  worn  by 
fisher  folk,  was  caught  at  the  waist 
by  a  twisted  band  of  dark  red  sateen, 
which  threw  into  relief  her  well- 
developed  breasts  and  sloping  hips. 
The  muscles  of  her  arms  could  be 
clearly  traced  below  the  short  bodice 
sleeves,  which  were  somewhat  shrun 
ken  with  constant  washings.  She 
turned  her  large  dark  blue  eyes  upon 
the  little  group  before  her  and  smiled 
easily  and  pleasantly  at  the  three 
women. 

She  was  evidently  quite  uncon 
scious  that  their  talk  had  been  about 
her,  and  asked  kindly  in  her  deep 
voice: 

"And  how  are  you,  mother?  And 
100 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

Steve?"  and  her  eyes  met  her  hus 
band's  gaze  and  then  fell  as  he  smiled 
at  her. 

The  two  women  got  up  immediate 
ly  and  said  good-bye  amid  the  head- 
shaking  of  the  old  woman.  When 
the  door  was  shut  behind  Nan  and 
Loveday,  whose  chatter  could  be 
heard  above  the  clatter  of  their 
shoes  down  the  village  street,  Moth 
er  Trenoweth  hobbled  off  to  her  bed 
room  muttering: 

"Lordy!  Lordy!"  adding  in  an 
awe-struck  whisper,  "The  devil's 
in  it,  I  believe.  Janet  a — oh!  Love- 
day  can't  mean  that,  sure  enough, 
but  I'll  find  out,  yes,  I'll  find  out, 
and  if  the  beauty  should  turn  out  to 
be  only  a  giddy  head  after  all,  it's 
no  more  nor  can  be  expected  from 
up-along  folks." 

She  banged  the  door  of  her  room 
and  sat  down  in  her  chair  by  her 
101 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

bed,  put  on  her  glasses  and,  sighing 
deeply,  drew  her  old  Bible  towards 
her,  and  read  her  usual  evening  chap 
ter.  After  this  was  finished,  a  feel 
ing  of  inward  peace  and  satisfaction 
stole  over  her,  irradiating  her  old 
sallow  face,  for  she  realised  now  that 
the  Almighty  had  indeed  laid  a  mis 
sion  upon  her  shoulders,  the  mission 
of  sifting  to  the  dregs  the  unknown 
nature  and  ways  of  her  daughter- 
in-law,  Janet.  She  rocked  herself 
to  and  fro  and  felt  the  exaltation  of 
a  religious  fervour  stealing  over  her; 
it  gradually  aroused  hunger  in  her, 
and  she  hoped  that  husband  and 
wife  would  soon  call  her  to  eat  some 
of  Janet's  "coddles." 

Husband  and  wife,  however,  were 
evidently  in  no  hurry  to  summon 
her,  and  she  had  plenty  of  time  to 
digest,  not  only  the  scriptures,  but 
the  village  gossip  of  the  afternoon. 
102 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

When  Janet  was  left  alone  with 
Steve  she  had  gone  quickly  over  to 
him  and  taken  him  up  in  her  arms 
as  if  he  had  been  a  child  and  laid 
him  on  his  couch.  She  leaned  over 
him  and  put  her  soft  warm  hands  on 
each  side  of  his  head  as  she  kissed 
his  eyes. 

"Poor  old  man!"  she  murmured. 
"How  tired  you  must  be!  Here! 
let  me  shake  your  pillows,  so!" 

He  grasped  her  hands  tightly  in 
his  and  then  passionately  kissed 
them,  laying  them  one  over  the  oth 
er.  She  moved  away  a  little  ner 
vously  as  she  glanced  at  his  feverish 
eyes,  as  if  she  dreaded  his  next  move 
ment.  Then,  almost  impulsively, 
she  turned  back  to  him  again  a 
moment  afterwards  and  said: 

"I've  brought  your  oil,  Steve." 

He  looked  at  her,  glad  of  the 
chance  to  do  so. 

103 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

"How  long  will  it  last  this  time?" 

"A  week;  and  then/'  stammering, 
"I'm  to  go  for  a  larger  bottle  which 
will  last  a  month  or  so." 

She  turned  her  back  to  him  and 
raked  the  fire. 

"Had  a  good  time?" 

"Yes:  and  you?" 

"I've  had  those  cackling  women  at 
my  elbows,  I  believe,  all  the  day 
long,"  with  an  impatient  shrug. 
"For  heaven's  sake,  keep  that  lot 
out  now.  It's  time  I  was  dead  and 
buried,  I'm  thinking,  to  be  left  alone 
with  a  passil  o'  petticoats  who  mag 
their  tongues  out  and  my  ears  off; 
don't  you  think  so?" 

He  looked  eagerly  at  her  and  saw 
her  large  brown  hands  clenched  as 
she  looked  at  him. 

"Don't  say  that,"  she  muttered, 
in  her  low  voice,  and  a  quick  red 
104 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

glow  seemed  to  shiver  for  a  moment 
over  her  face.  He  noticed  it. 

" You* re  warm  with  lifting  me,  lass. 
We'd  better  get  Sandy  Dick  to  come 
in  at  night-fall  to  save  you;  don't 
you  think?" 

"No;  you  mustn't  do  that.  I 
like  to  lift  you — you  know  that, 
lad." 

He   smiled. 

"I'd  give  near  all  the  rest  of  the 
life  left  to  me  if  I  could  lift  thee  now, 
lass;  yes,  now,  this  minute,  clean 
and  straight  in  my  arms.  I'd  run 
with  thee  round  the  room,  catch  thee 
close  and  fast  and  hard  to  my  heart 
and  smother  thee  close  and  warm 
with  all  the  love  in  me  for  thee.  I 
wouldn't  let  you  stir  no  more  nor  a 
starling  in  a  trap.  I'd  make  thy 
cheeks  burn  with  another  sort  of 
colour.  By  God!  Janet!  I'm  near 
choked  with  it  all!  It's  worse  nor 
105 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

hunger  or  thirst  woman,  that  it  be, 
this  love  I  have  for  thee." 

She  stood  before  him,  trembling, 
her  long,  brown  hands  hanging  by 
her  sides.  Her  eyes  were  lowered, 
and  once  or  twice  she  seemed  to  be 
going  to  speak,  but  the  words  never 
came.  At  last  she  moved  her  hands, 
clasping  them  in  front  of  her,  and 
Steve's  eyes  followed  the  action. 
He  had  often  wondered  why  her 
hands  had  such  power  over  him; 
they  often  thrilled  his  pulses  more 
than  her  face  or  her  tall  lithe  body. 
He  looked  at  them  now,  and  a  great 
love-storm  seemed  to  shake  him. 

"Come." 

He  held  out  his  arms. 

She  stood  still  and  said  brokenly: 

"I  want  to  talk  quietly  to  you, 
Steve,  lad!  Something  strange  has 
happened  me  an'  it's  to  thee  I  want 
to  tell  it." 

106 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

He  seemed  not  to  hear;  his  eyes 
were  fixed  on  her  strong,  keen  face; 
he  looked  like  a  thirsty  man  who 
has  found  a  well  of  water  after  hours 
of  wandering;  he  laughed  at  last, 
a  low,  happy,  cooing  laugh.  "Thou 
art  a  beauty,  Janet;  it  gives  me  a 
summer's  day  feeling  to  look  at  you, 
sure  enough.  God  Almighty  chuck 
ed  away  the  mould  lass,  after  He'd 
made  thee.  I  reckon  He'd  grudge 
throwing  thy  sort  out  by  the  gross." 

He  folded  his  arms  across  his 
breast  and  eyed  her  hungrily. 

"From  head  to  heel  there  ain't  a 
flaw  in  thee,  not  one." 

She  blushed  hotly,  and  he  laughed 
again.  "That's  it.  That's  like  the 
old  days  when  I  were  so  hot,  and  you 
were  so  scared;  do  thee  mind  them 
days?  Hang  it  all!  You're  the  on 
ly  maid  as  have  ever  mazed  me;  do 
thee  mind  how  I  used  to  get  so 
107 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

crazed  over  your  white  flesh  that 
thee  thought  I  was  not  exactly  more 
nor  once't.  Come!" 

She  came  and  sat  on  a  low  stool 
near  him. 

"Do  thee  mind  how  one  night  I 
was  so  crazed  with  joy  and  love 
that  I  knelt  down  and  prayed  like 
a  parson?  Do  thee  mind  how 
the  words  came  pouring  out  think 
ing  of  Him  as  had  made  women  and 
made  'em  so  different  to  we,  do 
thee  mind?  and  how  at  last 
thee  pulled  me  by  the  sleeve  and 
tried  to  cool  me  down,  for  thee  said 
I  were  blaspheming !"  He  laughed 
gaily  now.  "Well!  sweetheart!  I've 
felt  different  over  women  folks  ever 
since  then;  there's  a  darned  lot 
of  miracle  work,  strikes  me,  going 
on  in  women  as  perhaps  God  Hisself 
scarcely  reckoned  on  when  He  start 
ed  'em."  He  was  mechanically 
108 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

twisting  and  untwisting  the  button 
of  her  dress  bodice.  She  took  his 
hand  once  as  if  to  hold  it  in  hers, 
but  he  clasped  her  hands  together 
and  went  on  playing  with  her  gown. 

"I  must  seem  a  poor  creature  to 
thee  now,  Janet,"  he  went  on;  "it 
do  fret  me  near  to  maziness,  in  these 
June  days  when  the  sun's  so  warm 
and  the  birds  sing.  I'm  no  good  to 
thee.  Damn  it  all!  Nothing  but 
a  bit  of  man  wreck.  Best  do  with 
me  what  government  made  we  do 
with  the  big  stranded  vessels  on  the 
shore;  blow  'em  up  with  dynamite 
to  make  room  for  other  things." 

"Thou  has  been  too  long  alone, 
lad,"  she  muttered,  and  her  eyes  wan 
dered  to  his  shrunken,  crippled  legs. 
"I'll  soon  set  thee  right  again.  Thou 
knows,"  with  a  quick  jerk  of  her 
head, "that  I  shall  never  do  aught 
but  love  thee." 

109 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

She  blushed  and  moved  quickly 
towards  the  hearth  and  put  a  sauce 
pan  of  water  on  the  fire  for  making 
him  a  "coddle"  before  he  went  to 
bed.  As  she  knelt  on  the  hearth 
stone  with  one  knee  bent  under  her, 
Steve's  eyes  rested  on  her  bare  neck 
and  bent  head.  A  soft  dark  down 
was  traceable  below  the  mark  where 
her  hair  stopped  growing,  and  added 
to  the  curves  of  her  throat  and  neck. 
Just  now  the  droop  of  her  head 
seemed  to  madden  Steve.  Her  ab 
sence  and  his  nervous  irritability 
after  the  scene  with  his  mother  had 
told  upon  him.  He  rose  up  on  his 
couch,  his  eyes  sparkling  and  his 
hands  twitching. 

"Come  here,  wench." 

She  turned  quickly  and  walked 
over  to  him  with  an  inquiring  look 
on  her  face. 

110 


COME,  JANET!  " 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

"Come  here!"  he  repeated,  and 
he  glanced  towards  the  door  through 
which  his  mother  had  gone. 

"Lock  that!  let's  have  five  min 
utes  free  from  spies. " 

She  slowly  did  his  bidding  and 
came  back  with  a  puzzled  look  on 
her  face,  and  then  knelt  down  by  him 
and  stroked  his  hand,  which  was 
twitching  nervously. 

"Come,    Janet!" 

His  voice  grew  hoarse  and  pas 
sionate. 

" Janet!"  he  cried  as  he  pulled 
her  face  down  to  him,  fiercely  gath 
ered  her  head  on  his  breast  and  bur 
ied  his  hand  beneath  the  hair  above 
her  neck.  He  stroked  her  cheek 
and  ear  and  then  pressed  his  hand 
once  more  on  the  warm  neck,  as  if 
he  would  never  let  her  go.  He 
breathed  heavily: 
111 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

"I'm  a  blasted  fool,  my  girl,  but 
I'm  mazed  with  love  of  thee.  Quick ! 
put  thy  arms  tight  round  me,  tight, 
and  tell  me,"  and  he  pushed  back  her 
head  and  looked  into  her  eyes — 
"tell  me,  woman,  that  in  spite  of 
old  woman's  mag  and  my  smashed 
limbs  you  do  love  me,"  with  his 
teeth  set,  "love  me  as  a  woman  loves 


a  man." 


Janet  simply  looked  into  his  hun 
gry  face,  gathered  him  to  her,  as  a 
woman  would  a  child,  and  said  in  a 
low,  quiet  voice: 

"Thou  knows  that  I  love  thee, 
Steve — as — as" — she  hesitated — "as 
a  limb  of  my  own  body." 

He  lay  back  calmed  for  a  few  mo 
ments,  and  then  he  said  wearily: 

"It's  a  child.     That's  it.     Devil 

take  it  all.     Give  me  my  pipe  or  I 

shall  do  and  say  more  in  a  minute 

nor  I  can  make  amends  for  in  a  year." 

112 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

She  went  over  to  his  chair  by  the 
fireside,  got  his  pipe  and  took  it 
from  its  shelf  very  slowly  and  delib 
erately.  She  turned  once  more  to 
wards  her  husband.  Her  face  had 
grown  grey  and  hard,  and  her  firm 
lips  quivered  slightly.  The  finely 
cut  nostrils  were  dilated  and  the 
dark  blue  eyes  had  grown  larger  and 
brighter.  As  she  met  the  full  gaze 
of  Steve's  eyes  she  advanced  rapid 
ly  towards  him  and  threw  the  pipe 
on  the  couch  by  his  side. 

"Steve!" 

His  name  was  uttered  with  such 
bitterness  that  he  started  and  looked 
full  at  her  once  more. 

"Steve!  don't  let  me  hear  thee 
speak  of  that  again.  Do  you  mind 
what  I  say?  Never!  There's  some 
things  I'd  dare  the  angels  to  talk 
over  to  me,  and  that's  one." 

"Why?"  he  muttered. 
113 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

She  stared  at  him,  and  a  look  of 
repulsion  mingled  with  the  pain  in 
her  face. 

" Because/'  she  answered  quickly, 
"  because  it  do  never  do  to  think  of 
some  things,  that's  why.  It's  best 
to  throw  them  in  the  back  of  your 
head  and  forget  they're  there,  and 
there  let  'em  wait  till  the  day  when 
reckonings  are  made  up." 

She  turned  aside  and  shrugged  her 
broad  shoulders.  Steve  watched  her 
closely  as  she  went  over  to  the  fire 
and  stirred  her  "coddle."  He  had 
lighted  his  pipe  and  was  smoking 
hard.  He  watched  her  put  the 
things  on  the  table  for  their  evening 
meal,  and  he  did  not  attempt  to 
speak  to  her.  At  last  he  saw  her 
lean  her  hands  on  the  table  and, 
looking  at  him  again  with  the  same 
worn  hard  look,  she  said: 

"I  hate  a  coward,  always  did, 
114 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

either  among  wenches  or  lads,  and 
when  I  do  think  of  that,"  with  a 
gesture,  "I'm  a  poor,  weak  woman 
who's  not  fit  to  work  nor  do  for  oth 


ers." 


The  man  sighed. 

Janet  turned  her  back  on  him  and 
took  from  the  fire  the  boiling  pot, 
washed  her  hands  quickly  at  the 
sink,  and  as  she  wiped  them  she 
again  came  over  to  Trenoweth  and 
said  to  him,  in  a  weary,  patient  voice : 
"Don't  think  I  feel  hardly  against 
thee,  lad,"  she  said  gently.  "Men's 
made  all  different  to  women,  I  be 
lieve;  a  woman  would  guess  my 
meaning  at  once.  Men's  more  like 
dogs,  I  reckon.  Very  knowing  and 
all  that,  but  women's  souls  more 
nor  their  bodies  wants  to  breed." 

He  looked  puzzled,  and  she  laugh 
ed  as  she  kissed  him  once  more  on 
his  eyes. 

115 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

"Never  mind,  old  man;  I've  been 
dumpy  to-day,  but  I'm  tired  with 
the  journey  and  seeing" — she  hesi 
tated — "new  things.  It's  better  to 
bide  to  home  with  thee,  and  then  I 
don't  get  moithered,"  she  said,  fall 
ing  into  her  native  Lancashire 
tongue.  "Here!  let  me  rub  your  legs 
and  then  you  can  have  your  bit  of 
supper  and  be  comfie  again.  I  be  only 
making  things  worse  for  you 
now,  and  there's  lots  I  want  to  tell 
you  after  you're  rested." 

She  forced  herself  to  be  gay,  and 
he  gradually  fell  into  her  mood  and 
calmed  down  into  playful  tenderness, 
forgetting  his  doubts  and  misgiv 
ings  in  the  enjoyment  of  being  min 
istered  to  by  this  wife  of  his  who  had 
given  him  new  life  and  strength  al 
ready.  His  doubts,  however,  were 
only  lulled  for  the  moment,  for  his 
last  intelligible  thought  as  he  fell 
116 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

asleep  that  night  was  that  women 
folks  being  such  "  tetchy  and  unbe 
known  creatures,"  it  would  be  just 
as  well,  if  the  chance  came,  to  see 
what  the  parson  had  to  say  about 
many  things  which  addled  his  poor 
brains  so  continuously  that  he  could 
get  no  peace  nor  sleep  for  the 
thoughts  which  came  to  him. 


117 


CHAPTER  V 


CHAPTER  V 

As  if  fate  willed  it,  Parson  Trown- 
son  called  during  the  following  week 
at  Steve  Trenoweth's  house.  Janet 
occasionally  attended  his  church, 
and  as  he  had  a  village  children's 
treat  coming  on,  he  dropped  in, 
on  his  way  to  a  sick  parishioner,  to 
ask  Mrs.  Trenoweth  to  help  him 
with  one  of  the  tea-tables.  Steve 
not  being  a  churchman,  he  had  seen 
little  of  him  at  any  time,  and  when 
he  entered  the  kitchen,  as  no  answer 
came  to  his  knock,  he  was  surprised 
to  find  Steve  alone  and  helpless,  as 
he  had  never  realised  from  Janet's 
brief  accounts  of  her  husband's 
health  that  he  was  a  cripple.  He 
advanced  towards  the  fireplace  and 
121 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

said  in  a  cheery  voice  as  he  removed 
his  hat,  and  in  the  sprightly  tone  the 
healthy  so  often  use  to  the  sick: 

"Well,  my  good  fellow,  and  how 
are  you?"  He  extended  his  hand 
with  a  smile  which  combined  the 
patronage  of  the  gentry  with  the 
professional  sympathy  of  the  cleric. 
Steve  shook  it  heartily  and  said 
curtly: 

"I'm  glad  to  see  you,  Mr.  Trown- 
son.  I've  long  been  wantin'  for 
to  see  ye,  for  I  shouldn't  be  sur 
prised  but  what  you  could  help  me 
out  of  a  bit  of  a  puzzle  I'm  bother 
ing  my  head  with  most  all  my  time." 

"Yes,  yes;  just  so!"  said  the  friend 
ly  parson,  separating  the  tails  of  his 
long  coat  as  he  glanced  hastily  at 
the  wooden  chair  near  him  and  seat 
ed  himself  on  it.  "Certainly,  cer 
tainly.  Are  you  in  any  spiritual 
difficulty,  my  good  fellow?" 
122 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

He  coughed,  bit  his  under  lip 
with  a  slight  smile  on  his  face,  and 
folded  his  arms  in  a  resigned  manner. 
He  was  so  accustomed  to  the  com 
monplace  travailings  of  these  sim 
ple  souls,  who  wanted  points  of 
doctrine  settled  for  them,  in  the 
same  decisive  way  as  their  doctor's 
nostrums  were  handed  over  and  bolt 
ed.  He  felt  he  could  have  closed  his 
eyes  and  mumbled  out  the  very 
words  this  simple  miner  would  say. 
He  was  kind-hearted  and  felt  for 
fisher-folk  as  he  felt  for  his  dogs  or 
his  horses  when  he  was  obliged  to 
deprive  them  of  liberty  or  to  punish 
them.  He  tilted  back  his  chair  and 
crossed  one  leg  over  the  other  as  he 
looked  complacently  at  Trenoweth, 
with  the  smile  growing  in  his  eyes 
as  he  waited  for  him  to  speak.  He 
almost  lost  his  balance  and  fell 
from  his  seat  when,  instead  of  the 
123 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

usual  commonplace  query  regarding 
heaven  or  hell,  Trenoweth  asked  him 
in  a  stolid,  slow  way: 

"Have  ye  ever  had  a  wife,  sir?" 
"What,  in  heaven's  name,"  he 
said  to  himself,  "is  the  blundering 
idiot  driving  at?  Is  he  mad  or  bad 
or  only  curious?"  His  face  paled 
and  a  nervous  little  laugh  rippled 
away  the  merriment  from  his  eyes 
and  mouth.  What  had  the  fellow 
heard?  What  could  be  his  object 
in  cornering  him  suddenly  in  this 
way?  He  glanced  quickly  at  him, 
and  then  dropped  his  eyes. 

"My  good  fellow,  what  do  you 
mean?"  he  asked  sharply  and  quick- 

ly. 

"Have  you  ever  had  a  woman, 
sir?"  repeated  Steve  stolidly. 

Parson  Trownson  was  puzzled. 
He  objected  to  telling  lies  except 
under  very  special  conditions,  con- 
124 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

ditions  which  came  rarely  into  his 
uneventful  life.  He  must  either  tell 
Trenoweth  a  lie  or  run  the  risk  of 
disclosing  his  past,  from  which  he 
had  escaped  when  he  came  to  this 
quiet  fishing  village,  to  the  ridicule 
or  pity  of  these  people,  whom  he 
looked  upon  as  mere  children  who 
could  not  be  trusted  with  the  sor 
rows  of  the  educated,  any  more  than 
boys  or  girls  in  an  infant  school. 
His  perplexity  increased  as  Steve's 
eyes  travelled  over  his  well-tailored 
person  and  finally  rested  full  on  his 
face. 

"I  should  not  ask  ye,  sir,  for  pas- 
time  or  foolishness,  but  if  you's  had 
no  dealings  with  a  woman  you  can't 
help  me  nohow  as  I  can  see,  for  what 
I'm  bothering  over  isn't  put  any 
where  in  the  Bible,  nor  yet  preached 
on  in  the  pulpits — leastways  not  in 
my  hearing  of  the  Word.  Forni- 
125 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

cation  and  adultery" — the  vicar 
stared  blankly  at  Trenoweth — "and 
suchlike  things  is  dealt  with  here 
and  there  in  the  Bible,  sure  enough, 
but  there's  a  sight  o'  things,  seems 
to  me,  begging  of  your  pardin,  of 
course,  sir,"  with  an  apologetic  jerk 
of  his  head  towards  Mr.  Trownson, 
"that  do  fairly  maze  we  unlearned 
folks,  that  ain't  dealt  with  neither 
in  the  Book  or  in  the  churches  or 
chapels.  It's  a  parcil  of  trouble 
trying  to  ferret  out  the  Almighty's 
will  in  some  things  when  there's 
no  chart  nor  pilot  to  guide  you  over 
a  difficult  line.  Don't  you  think 
so,  sir?" 

Trenoweth's  shrewd  eyes  sought 
Parson  Trownson' s  face  as  if  he 
would  read  his  answer  there.  The 
parson  coughed  slightly  and  said: 

"It  is  easy,  my  dear  friend,  to 
guide  one's  life  in  the  path  of  duty 
126 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

if  we  are  determined  not  to  place 
our  inclinations  in  the  face  of  the 
will  of  the  Almighty." 

"Yes,  sir,"  answered  Steve  slow 
ly,  and  he  put  his  hands  in  his  trou 
sers'  pockets  and  looked  down  at  his 
feet  as  they  hung  loosely  above  the 
ground.  "I  do  know  that,  sure 
enough;  but  what  I'm  wantin'  to 
find  out  is  what  is  the  will  of  the 
Almighty.  Is  it  the  will  of  the  Lord 
that  us  should  go  right  agin  nature 
and  throttle  a  parcil  of  longings  that 
God  Hisself  or  the  devil  throwed  in 
to  we?  It's  just  that  as  I'm  try 
ing  to  find  out:  whether  the  strifings 
and  pushings  in  us,  that  sends  us 
on  whether  we  like  it  or  no,  comes 
from  on  high  or  from  down  there, 
sir,"  pointing  with  his  finger  to  the 
kitchen  floor. 

In  all  Parson  Trownson's  exper 
ience  he  had  never  before  been  con- 
127 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

fronted  with  so  direct  a  question. 
He  was  bewildered,  and  could  have 
given  a  rapid  assent  to  Trenoweth's 
next  remark,  which  was  also  a 
question. 

"Anyways — it's  a  puzzle  which 
ever  way  you  look  at  it,  seems  to 
me?" 

In  order  to  gain  time  the  clergy 
man  determined  to  question  Treno- 
weth  further  and  see  if  by  any  chance 
he  could  use  stratagem  in  fighting  the 
Lord's  battle. 

"I  don't  quite  understand  you, 
my  good  fellow,"  he  answered.  "Just 
put  your  difficulties  before  me  quite 
frankly,  and  my  advice  is  at  your 
service.  You  see,"  he  added  with  a 
smile,  "there  are  many  matters  a 
little  outside  a  clergyman's  province, 
but,  of  course,  I  will  do  anything  I 
can  to  help  you."  He  crossed  one 
leg  over  the  other,  nursed  his  right 
128 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

knee  with  both  hands  clasped  round 
it,  showing,  as  he  did  so,  the  large 
signet  ring  on  the  little  finger  of 
his  small  right  hand.  Mechani 
cally,  Steve's  eyes  fell  on  the  glit 
tering  object  as  he  said  nervously: 

"Well,  sir;  look  at  my  legs!" 

Trownson  glanced  quickly  at  the 
thin  crippled  limbs  of  the  man  be 
fore  him  and  said  kindly  and  sim 
ply: 

"I'm  so  sorry,  my  poor  fellow;  it 
must  be  a  terrible  trial  for  you." 

"It  ain't  that,  sir;  it's  this  way," 
went  on  Steve,  in  a  sharper  voice: 
"I've  a  fine  bouncing  woman  of  my 
own;  you  do  know  her,  I  believe; 
how  the  devil  is  it  the  Lord's  will  for 
her  to  be  fitted  in  with  a  maimed 
man  as  ain't  no  husband  to  she  at 
all,  and" — with  a  growl — "never  can 
be  no  more?" 

129 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

He  hung  his  head,  resenting  in 
his  heart  that  something  within  him 
forced  him  to  tell  a  stranger  his 
trouble. 

Trownson  at  once  became  inter 
ested;  and  the  man  in  him,  which 
was  not  by  any  means  drowned  in 
the  mere  cleric,  felt  great  sympathy 
for  Trenoweth.  He  began  to  un 
derstand  his  drift,  but  all  he  said 
was: 

"It's  hard  luck,  Trenoweth." 

"It's  this  way,  sir,"  muttered 
Steve,  sharply;  "her  do  belong  to 
love  me  right  enough,  but  her's 
chafing  cause  her  ain't  got  no  child — 
that's  the  mischief  with  all  women  as 
is  worth  their  salt,  the  longing  to 
breed,  and  it's  just  rubbish  to  say 
as  it  can  be  stopped,  'cause  my  legs 
fails  me;  it  can't,  no  more  nor  a 
half-moon  can  stop  makin'  herself 
a  full  one  when  her  time  comes." 
130 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

Trenoweth  shuffled  restlessly  in 
his  chair,  and  tossed  the  hair  back 
from  his  forehead  as  he  went  on: 

"You  see,  sir,  I  do  know  a  thing 
or  two  about  both  dogs  and  women 
folks;  they're  unlike  and  yet  like 
in  some  things,  but  my  woman  ain't 
quite  the  general  make  of  maids; 
her's  a  puzzler,  I  can  tell  ye,  and 
'twixt  me  and  you  I  believe  her's  a 
bit  of  a  riddle  to  herself.  I  tell  ye 
what/'  and  he  lowered  his  voice, 
"I  reckons  that  in  this  spring  weath 
er  her  do  feel  a  want  that's  natural 
and  right;  do  ye  mind  my  meaning, 
sir? — and  I'm  fair  befool t  over  it, 
for  in  a  manner  of  speaking  I'm 
no  more  use  to  her  in  this  job  nor  a 
stone." 

He  breathed  heavily  and  the  sweat 
stood  on  his  forehead. 

"There's  no  speaking  of  these 
things  in  the  chapels,  do  ye  under- 
131 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

stand,  and  it's  them  things  as  I  do 
want  to  hear  on  more  nor  about 
heaven  just  now." 

He  spat  into  the  fire  and  cleared 
his  throat.  "I  do  worship  that  wom 
an  of  mine,  sir,  sin  or  no  sin,  there 
it  be!  Yes,  worship  her,  I  tell  you. 
The  very  sweat  of  her  be  a  lot  sweet 
er  to  me  than  the  scent  of  the  sea 
or  the  first  flowers  of  the  year,  sure 
enough!  I  can't  help  it  no  ways! 
The  very  touch  of  her  flesh  is  a  bit 
of  heaven  to  me;  it's  true,  sir,  if  I 
have  to  go  to  hell  for  the  idolatry 
as  we're  warned  agin.  I  don't  care 
a  bit  about  what  I've  to  lose  over 
this  breeding  job,  but  I  do  care 
about  her  and  what  she  suffers. 
She  ain't  happy;  a  natural  fool  can 
see  that  any  day,  and  what  do  you 
think  can  be  done  for  to  help  her, 
sir?" 

" Absolutely  nothing,  my  good 
132 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

man,  nothing/*  answered  Parson 
Trownson,  emphatically.  "To  speak 
quite  frankly  between  you  and  me," 
and  he  glanced  round  the  kitchen  to 
assure  himself  that  they  were  alone, 
"I  think  you've  altogether  exaggera 
ted  the  situation."  He  waved  his 
hand  in  the  air  as  one  accustomed 
to  disperse  doubts  and  lawlessness 
at  a  word.  "It  is  probably  because 
you  spend  so  much  time  cooped  up 
in  the  house."  He  drew  his  chair 
closer  to  Steve  and  said  emphati 
cally  in  a  lowered  voice: 

"These  matters  are  very  delicate; 
in  fact  they  scarcely  bear  talking 
over  under  any  circumstance.  In 
your  case,  my  good  friend,"  he 
looked  quickly  at  Trenoweth,  "the 
matter  is  exceptionally  painful,  but 
as  a  matter  of  fact  there  is  absolute 
ly  nothing  to  be  done.  I  can,  how 
ever,  console  you  thus  far  by  assur- 
133 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

ing  you  that  women's  natures  are 
quite  different  from  ours;  indeed 
it  is  a  kind  of  profanity  to  think  it 
could  be  otherwise.  The  chief  ob 
ject  of  man's  chivalrous  care  of  wo 
man  lies  in  the  fact  that  he  feels  this, 
and  in  his  guardianship  of  her  ac 
knowledges  her  spiritual  superior 
ity  to  himself.  A  woman  craves  to 
have  a  child;  quite  so,  quite  so," 
with  a  condescending  wave  of  the 
ringed  hand.  "It  is  a  wonderful  dis 
pensation  of  Providence  that  your 
wife,  whom  I  know  to  be  an  admir 
able  woman,  should  have  this  wish — 
it  is  one  of  the  most  glorious  designs 
of  God,  the  desire  to  suckle  children, 
but" — he  coughed  once  more  and  a 
slight  smile  made  his  lips  twitch — 
"but,  my  good  man,  you  don't  sup 
pose  for  one  moment  that  women 
have  passions  like  ours,  that  they 
are  radically  lawless  and  savage  or 
134 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

even  temperately  animal,  as  men  are, 
do  you?" 

"Yes,  by  God!"  snorted  Steve, 
triumphantly,  "when  a  woman's 
suckling  a  child  at  her  breast  I  be 
lieve  her  do  like  the  feeling  right 
enough,  sir.  I've  seen  women  fit 
to  bite  the  baby  with  joy  over  that 
job,  like  maids  bite  their  sweethearts 
sometimes  when  they  love  'em  most." 
He  snorted  again  and  laughed  fierce 
ly.  "I've  never  had  no  dealings  with 
sprites  nor  yet  with  angels  in  my 
coorting  jobs,  I  can  tell  ye.  There's 
summat  behind  the  beast  in  a  wo 
man,  I  reckon,  as  makes  her  such  a 
powerful  riddle  to  we  men  folks; 
but  if  it's  the  beast  as  you're  scorn 
ing  in  men,  I'm  thinking  you'd  have 
to  use  the  same  birch  to  get  that  out 
of  the  women  folks  as  well  as  out 
of  we." 

Trownson  positively  blushed,  and 
135 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

thought  to  himself  that,  after  all, 
the  common  people  were  moulded 
in  totally  different  ways  from  the 
well-born.  He  simply  put  down 
Steve's  statement  as  the  summing  up 
of  a  village  rake,  and  the  man  be 
came  lowered  in  his  eyes. 

"Has  your  wife  ever  expressed 
any — ahem!  dissatisfaction  with  her 
present  life?"  he  queried  with  a 
touch  of  contempt  in  his  well-bred 
voice. 

Steve  laughed  brutally. 

"What  do  ye  take  me  for,  sir? 
Do  ye  think  as  I  should  be  telling 
you  these  fears  of  mine  if  her  mouth 
ed  like  a  ninney  to  me?  No!  she 
bean't  no  blabber,  I  can  tell  ye; 
but  I  do  see  things  ain't  right,that's 
all,  and  there's  summat  working  in 
me  as  I'm  not  learned  enough 
to  understand  nor  yet  to  deal 
with;  that's  all,  and  that's 
136 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

why  I've  spoke  to  you,  be 
cause  they  tell  me  that  college  gents 
knows  a  power  of  things  as  we  folks 
as  works  hard  don't  know  nothing 
about." 

'This  is  scarcely  a  matter  to  do 
with  colleges,  Mr.  Trenoweth,"  the 
parson  replied;  "it  really  is  a  very 
simple  affair  if  you  will  only  look 
at  it  in  the  right  light." 

He  lifted  his  left  hand  and  forced 
back  the  thumb  with  the  forefinger 
of  his  right,  as  if  to  jot  off  conven 
iently  the  several  methods  by  which 
the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil 
could  be  brought  into  complete  sub 
jection.  He  folded  his  arms  to 
gether  again  after  a  moment's  re 
flection  and  slightly  raised  his  shoul 
ders  as  he  continued: 

"You  imagine  your  wife  is  rest 
less,  and  your  mind  is  a  little  over 
strained  with  your  physical  trouble. 
137 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

Talk  to  her  frankly;  that  is,  as 
frankly  as  one  can  to  a  woman,  and 
she  will  doubtless  soon  prove  to  you 
that  your  fears  are  groundless.  A 
true  woman  finds  her  only  happiness 
in  her  husband's  welfare,  and  Mrs. 
Trenoweth  is  surely  an  exemplary 
character  in  this  respect. " 

"You  don't  understand,  sir.  I 
must  be  forthright  with  ye,  I  can  see. 
Janet,  my  woman,  be  no  giddy  spark 
of  a  jade,  nor  yet  a  bloodless  fool, 
I  can  tell  ye.  She  seems  to  have  tak 
en  some  of  the  beastly  lustful  devil 
out  of  me,  and  put  some  of  her  own 
breed  in;  it's  her  nature  more  nor 
my  own  as  is  working  in  me  now,  I 
reckon;  it's  like  yeast  moving  in 
me,  the  wish  to  see  her  well  and 
happy  again  as  she  do  belong  to  be.' 
He  beat  the  sides  of  his  chair  with 
the  bowl  of  his  pipe  as  if  he  were  im 
patient.  "I'm  wondering,  sir,  wheth- 
138 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

er  she  oughtn't  to  have  another  man, 
one  as  'd  be  a  strong  sweetheart  to 
her  and  not  a  putty  man  like  I  be. 
What  do  you  think?" 

Trownson  became  very  grave,  and 
his  lower  lip  hung  loosely. 

"Are  you  so  unhappy  as  this, 
Trenoweth?"  he  said  at  last,  chang 
ing  his  tone  to  one  of  almost  equality. 
"Is  that  your  only  remedy?  Do  you 
seriously  meditate  allowing  your  wife 
to  proceed  to  such  lengths  as  that? 
No  womanly  woman  could  do  it — 
no!  no!  no!"  with  a  shrill  tone  in 
his  voice  and  a  glitter  in  his  eyes; 
"it  is  only  women  who  have  for 
gotten  God  and  duty  who  do  such 
things.  I  thought  Mrs.  Trenoweth 
understood  the  eternal  sanctity  of 
the  marriage  bond  better  than  that." 

Trenoweth  laughed. 

"We  ain't  married,  don't  you  see, 
139 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

sir?     Not  no  more,  in  a  manner  of 
speaking,  than  if  I  was  a  corpse. " 

"Ahem!"  coughed  the  bewildered 
parson — "don't  you  see,  my  good 
man,  that  marriage  is  a  divine  or 
dinance?  It  is  not  a  mere  animal 
relationship,  a  mere  dog  and  bitch 
partnership."  He  looked  askance 
at  Trenoweth,  thinking  his  analogy 
a  little  too  strong  for  the  occasion. 
"It  is  a  communion  of  souls,  a  twin 
ing  together  of  subtler  needs  than 
can  be  expressed;  a  union  not  only 
for  time  but  for  all  eternity.  To  pro 
fane  this  is  to  risk  eternal  punish 
ment;  not,  of  course,  in  the  ordinary 
hell-fire  sense,"  with  a  smile,  "but 
the  punishment  which  comes  to  all 
those  who  break  great  spiritual  or 
moral  laws.  If  your  wife  violates 
your  union  for  a  mere  physical  whim, 
she  dishonours  not  only  you,  her 
husband,  but  all  womanhood,  by 
140 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

the  unchaste  desires  to  which  she 
falls  a  prey/' 

Trenoweth  had  begun  to  smoke. 

"Seems  to  me,  sir,  begging  your 
pardin  of  course,  as  you  think  a 
damned  lot  of  the  dog  part  of  the 
business,  after  all.  If  my  woman 
lived  with  another  man  as  she  could 
love  in  that  way,  and  he  her,  there's 
no  call  as  I  can  see  for  her  to  hate 
me  nor  yet  to  throw  me  on  one  side 
like  a  worn-out  sack.  Seems  to 
me  as  if  she  could  do  that  she'd 
have  got  pretty  well  rid  of  all  them 
grand  spiritual  feelings  as  you  seems 
to  set  such  store  by.  It  all  sounds 
so  fine,  and  all  that,  the  way  as  you 
puts  it,  sir,  but  I  can't  help  reading 
of  it  all  backwards  someway.  I'll 
give  ye  the  straight  tip.  I  ain't 
no  husband  to  her;  that's  sure;  the 
question  I  want  for  you  to  answer 
for  me  is,  am  I  to  tie  she  for  the 
141 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

rest  of  her  natural  life  to  my  useless 
legs  same  as  women  folks  is  said  to 
tie  childer  to  their  apron  strings? 
Now  speak  straight  and  fair,  sir, 
as  man  to  man;  do  you  think  it's 
in  the  natural  way  of  things  that 
she'll  go  on  loving  me  if  I  do?  I 
think  of  it  all  till  I'm  scared  lest 
she'll  long  for  heaven  just  to  get 
free  a  bit  to  pick  up  with  a  different 
make  of  chap,  and  then,  what  the 
devil  '11  be  the  good  of  all  this  hold 
ing  of  her  in?" 

He  smoked  fiercely,  and  sent  grey 
rings  chasing  one  another  into  the 
ceiling.  He  watched  them  for  a 
moment,  and  went  on  without  tak 
ing  his  eyes  from  his  pipe. 

"You  may  whistle  to  love,  seems 
to  me,  and  hoot  to  her  too,  till 
you're  black  in  the  face,  and  done 
in  the  lungs,  but  she's  a  wayward 
minx,  that  she  be;  she'll  come  if 
142 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

she  wants,  and  she'll  go  if  she  wants, 
and  neither  parsons  nor  yet  law 
yers,  so  it  seems  to  me,  can't  put 
no  salt  on  her  tail,  with  all  their 
fine  talk  and  bragging.  It's  my 
opinion  as  there's  a  lot  of  trash 
talked  over  these  things  by  they 
folks  who'se  never  had  their  heart 
strings  tugged." 

Steve  spat  impatiently  on  the 
floor  and  sighed.  He  went  on  slow 
ly,  as  no  answer  came  from  the  be 
wildered  cleric. 

"It's  that  sort  of  lesson  a  feller 
learns  when  he  grows  to  love  a  wo 
man  better  nor  hisself,  and  I'm  fast 
coming  to  think  as  books  can't  tell 
you  much  about  it.  I've  thought 
over  a  sight  of  things  settin'  here, 
sir,"  and  he  pointed  to  the  bench  near 
him  as  he  rested  his  elbow  on  the 
arm  of  his  chair.  "There's  some 
thing  in  my  woman's  flesh  as  not 
143 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

only  crazes  the  man  in  me,  sir,  but 
gives  me  a  power  of  new  insight  al 
together.  It's  the  dog  in  me,  as 
you  spoke  on  just  now,  would  ken 
nel  her  for  my  own  uses;  I  often  feel 
as  if  I  could  snatch  her  and  tear  her 
in  bits,  in  a  manner  of  speaking,  like 
a  wolf  rends  a  man,  but  there's  some 
thing  new  got  hold  of  me  lately; 
I  guess  it's  the  man  and  not  the  dog, 
sir,  and  it's  made  me  think  of  things 


more." 


He  went  on  dreamily,  as  if  talk 
ing  to  himself. 

"If  her  heart  and  body  turns  to 
another  chap,  let  her  go  to  him  and 
have  it  fair  and  square  a'tween  us, 
that's  what  I  do  say;  but  I'm  be- 
foolt  o'er  the  job  at  times,  and  won 
der  if  I  mean  rightly  what  I  do  say, 
and  if  I  shouldn't  be  the  first  to 
whistle  her  back." 

"My  good  man,"  interrupted 
144 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

Trownson,  "you're  talking  simple 
balderdash,  if  you'll  excuse  my  di 
rectness;  there  is  no  law,  human  or 
divine,  which  could  countenance 
such  an  absurd  solution  of  your 
difficulty.  It  is  highflown  and  mor 
bid  to  an  almost  insane  degree.  Do 
you  seriously  mean  to  imply  that 
you  have  some  idea  of  letting  your 
wife — ahem ! — live  with  another  man 
while  keeping  up  a  semblance  of  a 
relationship  with  you?" 

He  pushed  the  air  vigorously  with 
both  hands,  as  if  to  turn  back  into 
the  Inferno  such  mad,  bad  ideas. 
He  was  interested  in  Trenoweth  in 
spite  of  his  erratic  and  what  he  con 
sidered  dangerous  views;  but  he 
was  rapidly  coming  to  the  conclu 
sion  that  the  man  was  nearing  the 
verge  of  insanity,  and  he  made  up  his 
mind  to  give  a  hint  to  some  re 
sponsible  person  to  note  the  case, 
145  I0 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

for  fear  of  evil  consequences  coming 
to  the  young  wife. 

Trenoweth  spoke  with  an  effort. 

"If  you  loved  a  woman,  sir,  loved 
her  a  good  length  beyond  your  own 
soul,  and  then  you  lost  her,  my  mean 
ing  is,  lost  her  in  the  way  as  she 
couldn't  be  your  wife,  would  it 
make  you  hate  her,  sir?" 

The  parson  merely  coughed,  and 
smiled  faintly.  Trenoweth  con 
tinued  in  a  stolid  way: 

"If,  I  say,  straight  and  square, 
m\nd  you,  to  my  woman:  Look 
you  here,  wench!  If  you  do  belong 
to  care  anyway  for  some  chap  and 
want  him,  take  him,  but  let's  have 
it  square  and  high  and  dry  above 
board  and  no  shamming — it's  the 
shamming  I  couldn't  abide — is  that 
ridiculous?  Well!  that's  but  my 
meaning,  sir.  If,"  he  pointed  a 
long  thin  finger  at  Trownson;  "mind 
146 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

you,  I  say,  if  my  woman  should 
want  a  husband  as  well  as  a  mate  like 
me,  I  don't  see,  if  ye  looks  at  it 
fair  and  square,  why  the  devil  her 
shouldn't  have  him,  and  not  only 
that,  why  should  she  be  asked  to 
leave  me  out  because  of  it.  Ain't  no 
folks  chums  at  all  when  they  can't  do 
the  honeymoon  business  any  more? 
Ain't  none  of  them  big  folks  as  can 
go  into  court  and  get  unwed  never 
friends  no  more?" 

"I  should  say  assuredly  not," 
sternly  replied  Mr.  Trownson. 

"Then,  sir,  begging  of  your  par- 
din,  there's  summat  wrong  in  the 
way  the  things  is  fixed  up  in  the 
marriage  laws  down  here,  and  I  do 
fervently  trust  that  up-along,"  point 
ing  to  the  ceiling,  "there'll  be  a  new 
line  of  conduct  over  such  things. 
Yer  don't  seem  to  see,  sir,  as  Janet 
'11  always  love  me,  and  she  could  no 
147 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

more  leave  me  out  in  the  cold  like 
a  pauper  without  love  to  warm  me 
than  if  I'd  come  right  out  of  her 
body." 

"I  suppose  you  understand  that 
what  you  are  suggesting  is  an  abom 
ination,  not  only  in  the  eyes  of  God, 
but  in  the  eyes  of  all  good  men?" 

" Abomination,"  stammered  Tren- 
oweth;  "to  love  your  woman  better 
nor  yourself — do  you  mean  that?" 

The  parson  waved  his  hand. 

"That  is  begging  the  question; 
it  is  not  loving  a  woman  better  than 
yourself,  but  simply  opening  the 
door  to  lustful  desires  and  weak  sen 
timentalities.  If  such  preposter 
ous  actions  were  countenanced  by 
law,  what  on  earth  do  you  think 
would  become  of  the  family — the 
foundation  of  our  Nation's  happi 
ness  and  prosperity?" 
148 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

"We  ain't  got  no  family,  sir; 
that's  the  touchy  bit  in  it  all,  don't 
you  see?" 

"Yes,  yes!"  testily  answered  the 
cleric,  "but  laws  are  made  for  the 
many,  and  these  courses  of  conduct 
that  you  suggest  will  assuredly  un 
dermine  all  family  purity  and  do 
mestic  peace.  Indeed!  such  ideas 
can  only  be  the  outcome  of  evil 
thoughts  and  lascivious  desires." 

"Then,  sir,"  answered  Trenoweth 
sharply,  "all  I  can  say  is — I'm 
hanged  if  the  wicked  uns  ain't  got 
a  tip  or  two  from  up  atop  that  the 
big  wigs  knows  naught  about.  Do 
you  mean  to  say  straight  and  fair 
to  me,  sir,  that  it's  wrong  to  love  a 
woman  so  that  you  could  hand  her 
over  to  a  bit  of  joy  that  you  ain't  in, 
in  a  way  of  speaking,  saving  the  liv 
ing  from  the  dead,  so  to  speak,  and 
rejoicing  at  the  pairing  you've  set 
149 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

yourself  to  see  through?  Do  ye 
belong  to  tell  me  as  it's  sin  in  her 
to  go  to  a  second  man  unless  first 
of  all  she  do  hate  the  first? — that 
the  only  way  for  her  to  do  over  this 
job  is  to  lie  inside  and  out,  both  to 
me  and  to  herself,  'cause  she  can't 
crush  feelings  as  the  Lord  Hisself 
blesses,  we're  told,  if  only  the  par 
son,  begging  your  pardin  again, 
bosses  the  show?  If  you  can  say  as 
I'm  wrong  to  feel  like  this  over  the 
job — well,  I'm  sorry  I  corned  to  you 
for  help,  for,  in  a  manner  of  speak 
ing,  I  feel  now  almost  as  if  love  have 
teached  me  about  as  much,  and  like 
ly  more,  nor  the  school  and  the 
Bible  together  seems  to  have  teached 
you." 

Trownson  was   about   to  answer 

Steve  in  an  authoritative  manner, 

as  he  was  nettled  at  the  change  o 

tone  in  this  miner.     In  the  begin- 

150 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

ning  of  the  interview  he  had  noticed 
the  deferential  manner  of  Steve  to 
wards  his  superior,  and  he  resented 
as  an  insult  the  straight  speaking 
and  calm  smoking  of  this  lover  and 
husband  who  dared  to  teach  him 
as  if  he  were  a  schoolboy.  The  ar 
gument  would  probably  have  ended 
in  a  storm  of  abuse  on  Steve's  side, 
and  of  sharp  satirical  expostulations 
on  Trownson's  side;  but  before  the 
parson  could  open  his  mouth  to 
defend  himself  from  Steve's  last 
attack  a  noise  made  both  the  men 
turn  their  heads  sharply  towards  the 
door.  Janet  had  just  lifted  the 
latch,  and  she  stood  in  the  entrance, 
a  little  bewildered  at  seeing  a  visi 
tor  with  her  husband.  She  advanc 
ed  towards  Trownson,  and  half  curt 
sied, — a  habit  caught  in  her  childish 
days,  when,  at  village  treats  and  Sun 
day  school  excursions  in  the  North, 
151 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

the  little  ones  had  stood  in  great  awe 
of  the  local  clergyman.  She  greeted 
Trownson  simply  and  stood  near  her 
husband.  The  cleric  looked  at  her 
sharply,  almost  savagely,  as  he 
would  have  looked  at  Eve  after  con 
versing  with  poor  Adam  about  the 
apple-stalk  in  his  hand.  When  Par 
son  Trownson  preached  on  Sundays 
upon  Womanhood,  he  felt  himself 
kindled  by  a  divine  fervour;  the 
vision  which  always  came  to  him 
was  of  the  pure  unsullied  virgin, 
the  mother  of  little  ones,  the  com 
forter  and  helpmate  of  man,  the  re 
finer  of  the  world,  the  silent  spiri 
tual  influence  at  work  by  the  hearths 
of  any  nation  calling  itself  righteous, 
chastening  by  her  mystic  power  the 
baser  and  grosser  side  of  humanity, 
and  freeing  it  from  its  animal  lusts 
and  stupid  gluttonies.  His  ideal 
of  Woman  carried  him  often  be- 
152 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

yond  himself,  and  he  rose  on  tip-toe, 
perspiring  with  the  effort  of  his  own 
eloquence.  But  this  view  of  woman 
which  Trenoweth  had  presented  to 
him,  a  view  sordid  and  gross,  this 
gave  him  a  feeling  of  physical  nau 
sea  as  he  looked  at  Janet.  Woman 
personified  in  this  man's  wife,  not 
only  as  a  breeder,  but  as  a  conceiver, 
not  as  one  who  submits  meekly  and 
of  necessity  to  the  sacred  work  and 
pains  of  motherhood,  but  as  one 
who  craves  and  demands  the  law 
less  play  of  physical  enjoyment! 
Bah !  His  spine  began  to  creep  at  the 
vulgarity  of  Trenoweth's  descrip 
tion  and  the  rank  materialism  which 
his  words  had  implied.  He  turned 
curiously  and  looked  at  Janet  as  she 
faced  her  husband  to  tell  him  where 
she  had  been.  He  noted  her  length 
of  limb  and  her  rounded  bust,  the 
swing  of  her  hips  as  she  moved 
153 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

Trenoweth  higher  and  put  his  cush 
ions  closer  to  his  back.  He  began 
to  think  he  was  the  victim  of  some 
horrible  suggestion,  for  he  felt  a 
strange  magnetic  attraction  as  he 
gazed  at  the  woman  before  him. 

Janet  turned  quickly  from  her 
husband,  and  her  blue  cotton  skirt 
swung  in  a  graceful  curve,  exposing 
her  well-shaped  ankle  and  foot.  The 
vicar  got  up,  looked  hastily  at  his 
watch  and  extended  his  hand  to 
Trenoweth,  saying  in  a  hurried  voice: 

"A  little  cooling  draught  at  this 
time  of  the  year  would  be  very 
useful  to  you,  my  good  fellow;  try 
it;  magnesia  or 

He  stopped  abruptly,  smiled  in  a 
constrained  way  as  he  turned  to 
Janet: 

"Good-bye,  Mrs.  Trenoweth.  Ah! 
I  leave  your  husband  in  the  best  of 
hands;  he  is  feverish — feverish  and 
154 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

over-excited,  and  you  will  doubtless 
calm  him."  Janet  raised  her  dark 
eyes  and  looked  at  Trownson 
gravely. 

"Thank  you  kindly,  sir,"  she  said 
simply,  and  held  out  her  hand.  The 
vicar  clasped  it,  and  when  he  was  in 
the  street  he  mechanically  put  the 
hand  she  had  held  inside  his  clerical 
vest,  then  he  hastily  withdrew  it, 
looked  at  it  in  a  bewildered  kind  of 
way,  and  muttered: 

"The  deuce!" 

As  he  put  his  latchkey  in  the  door 
of  his  house  he  muttered  stupidly : 

"Got  the  text  —  anyway  —  next 
Sunday — eh? — yes — of  course — Lust 
of  the  Flesh." 


155 


CHAPTER  VI 


CHAPTER  VI 

In  a  big  hollow  on  Bos  Kivven 
sandhills  a  man  lay  dreaming;  the 
hot  July  sun,  streaming  in  full  noon 
day  force,  had  sent  him  to  this 
retreat  among  the  miniature  flowers 
and  coarse  grasses  which  grew  in 
the  hollows  made  by  the  winter 
gales.  He  had  shaped  the  sand  at  his 
back  into  an  easy  seat;  his  legs  were 
raised  and  crossed,  one  hand  was 
thrown  behind  his  head,  and  his 
deep  grey  eyes  were  gazing  vacant 
ly  but  restfully  out  to  sea.  He 
was  puffing  contentedly  from  a  briar- 
wood  pipe,  and  now  and  then  he 
looked  at  his  watch,  seated  him 
self  in  an  easier  position  and  half 
dozed  as  the  sun  here  and  there 
159 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

caught  him  unawares  in  his  shaded 
nook.  He  was  a  ship's  mate,  "off 
deck"  in  more  ways  than  one,  for  he 
was  lounging  in  a  summer's  mood, 
and  feeling  in  his  soul  at  the  moment 
that  to  be  pinned  to  a  post  was  the 
one  evil  in  the  world,  to  be  free  and 
at  ease  the  supreme  blessing.  Nancy 
Nanquitho  was  his  nearest  relation, 
and  he  had  several  times  almost 
mechanically  dropped  down  upon 
the  bit  of  ground  which  held  his 
own  blood.  He  rented  a  room  in  the 
village,  when  he  came  at  rare  in 
tervals,  and  as  she  asked  him  no 
questions  he  rarely  vouchsafed  any 
information  about  his  life.  He  came 
and  went,  as  his  mood  and  circum 
stances  allowed,  and  Widow  Nan 
quitho  gave  him  on  coming  a  wel 
come,  and  on  going  her  blessing — 
that  was  all.  To-day  he  had  slow 
ly  sauntered  towards  the  sandhills 
160 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

after  a  dinner  at  the  village  inn, 
which  was  calculated  to  make  a  man 
drowse,  smoke,  and  dream  that  all 
was  surely  well  on  land  and  sea. 
His  sunburnt  face  was  honest  and 
virile;  one  forgot  to  ask  if  it  were 
handsome;  its  strength  and  cheer 
fulness  banished  the  query.  Sea- 
salt  and  tobacco  brought  an  air 
of  vigour  and  repose  at  the  same  time 
to  those  who  talked  to  him.  Just 
now  his  pipe  drew  well,  he  had  had 
his  dinner,  the  sun  shone,  he  could 
hear  the  sea  rippling  in  on  the  sands, 
wooingly  and  slowly,  as  if  it  were 
too  full  of  noonday  cc  ntent  to 
hurry  itself  even  to  kiss  the  ground. 
He  threw  open  his  coat  and  let  the 
soft  winds  play  upon  him,  and  he 
smiled  happily,  for  he  was  wait 
ing,  without  any  feverish  excite 
ment  apparently,  for  a  woman.  He 
looked  at  his  watch  again.  She 
161 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

was  late.  He  closed  his  eyes  and 
languidly  drew  at  his  pipe;  he  knew 
she  would  come,  and  a  soft  light 
spread  over  his  face  as  he  thought 
of  her.  Women  were  all  alike,  he 
mused,  all  clinging  and  faithful  and 
sometimes  bores  with  it,  too,  or — 
he  pulled  his  moustache  at  one  cor 
ner  with  his  under  lip  and  bit  it 
meditatively — shrewish  hell-cats  who 
made  a  man's  home  too  hot  for  him 
to  live  in.  Then  he  drowsily  pulled 
at  his  pipe  and  reviewed  his  ex 
periences;  he  gave  slight  chuckles 
as  he  recalled  one  or  two  of  his 
youthful  escapades.  Women  had 
ceased  to  torment  him,  for  he  had 
faced  his  own  nature  and  its  needs 
several  years  ago,  and  also  had 
realised,  so  he  imagined,  the  limit 
ations  of  women.  He  had  invaria 
bly  found  them  easy  to  capture; 
he  had,  until  now,  felt  little  need  for 
162 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

a  permanent  relationship  with  any 
of  them;  that,  he  knew  well  enough, 
was  a  perilous  venture  which  might 
turn  a  life  keel  upwards  in  no  time. 
He  had  thought  at  first  that  the 
woman  for  whom  he  was  waiting 
would  never  belong  to  him,  but  it 
had  come,  suddenly  but  surely; 
she  was  his  at  last,  and  he  lay  back 
in  the  repose  of  security  and  waited. 
He  was  in  love,  he  said  to  himself, 
more  so  he  believed  than  ever  before, 
the  sun  shone  and  all  was  ready; 
what  more  could  mortal  man  desire 
to  make  him  happy?  Love  and  the 
hot  day  were  evidently  too  much  for 
him.  At  last  he  slept,  the  deep 
dreamless  sleep  which  comes  in  the 
open  air  when  nothing  pinches  or 
maims  the  brain  and  nerves.  His 
pipe  went  out  and  lay  in  his  out 
stretched  hand,  which  was  being 
rapidly  investigated  by  ants  and 
163 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

sand  insects.  His  legs  remained 
raised  and  crossed,  and  one  hand  lay 
idly  behind  his  head.  The  mouth, 
half  open,  revealed  the  strong  white 
teeth  of  a  healthy  man  in  his  prime. 
The  woman  for  whom  he  waited 
stood  by  him  and  watched  him — 
watched  him  with  contracted  mouth 
and  heavy  eyes.  She  had  come  to 
the  old  haunt;  she  was  ten  minutes 
late  and  he  was  asleep.  Her  eyes 
wandered  over  his  body;  the  big 
chest  rose  and  fell  with  his  deep, 
regular  breathing.  The  woman  shiv 
ered  and  then  sighed.  Her  large 
nostrils  moved  rapidly.  His  dark 
blue  shirt  was  open  at  the  throat, 
and  the  thick  hair  on  his  chest  was 
moist  with  the  summer's  heat.  The 
woman  stood  quite  still  as  she  watch 
ed  the  sleeper;  he  sighed  in  his  sleep. 
She  moved  backwards  and  her  face 
paled  a  little.  She  took  off  her  large 
164 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

sun  hat  and  threw  it  on  the  ground; 
the  man  started  and  their  eyes  met. 

"Janet!" 

He  sprang  up,  threw  down  his 
pipe  and  folded  his  strong  arms 
around  her.  She  made  no  movement 
and  he  drew  her  face  up  to  his  with 
a  quick  jerk  of  his  hand  and  kissed 
her  passionately  on  the  eyes  and 
mouth. 

"There!"  he  said,  and  sighed  hap 
pily;  "there!  that's  good!  so!  Now 
another,  my  sweetheart!"  and  his 
eyes  shone  with  good-humoured  pas 
sion. 

She  put  her  ringed  hand  on  his 
open  breast  and  pushed  him  back. 
He  laughed  and  caught  her  closer 
to  him  in  his  lover's  mood,  for  he 
knew  that  she  was  being  coy  with 
him,  as  is  the  way  with  women. 

He  glanced  at  her  face  and  whis 
pered: 

165 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

"My  own  girl!  so  you're  here  at 
last!  How  I've  waited,  you  loiterer! 
Come!  let's  be  happy  now!" 

"Don't!"  she  said  in  a  thick  slow 
way,  and  she  pushed  him  back  again. 
"Don't,  I  say!" 

Still  believing  that  it  was  a  mere 
woman's  trick  to  intensify  his  ar 
dour,  he  smiled. 

"What's  the  row,  Janet?  Has 
the  new  moon  turned  you  fickle?" 
and  he  advanced  towards  her  again. 

"Don't,"  repeated  Janet.  "I've 
done  what  you  said  to  me;  I've  not 
told  the  man!" 

He  laughed. 

"Of  course  not,  my  sweet!  It 
would  be  crazy!" 

"I  meant  to,"  she  went  on,  "when 
I  went  home  that  night,  but  he  was 
strange    and    moithered,    being    by 
hisself,  and  I  couldn't  get  it  out." 
166 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

Her  hand  was  lowered  and  she 
added  in  her  deep  sad  voice: 

1  'Somehow  it  all  looked  so  different 
when  I  got  near  him;  not — "  hesi 
tating  and  looking  round  at  the 
sandhills  and  then  out  to  sea — "not 
like  here  in  the  sun,  and  I  was 
shamed,  too  shamed  to  think  of  it 
even." 

He  glanced  at  her  quickly. 

"What  the  devil  do  you  mean, 
Janet?"  he  asked,  testily. 

"You  know  what  happened,"  she 
said,  slowly,  as  if  the  words  were 
dragged  out  of  her,  "here,  last  week, 
you  know  what  corned  to  us.  I  was 
mazed,  I'm  thinking,  mazed  with 
the  sun  and — and — "  she  stammered 
— "something  as  I  can't  make  out 
now,  corned  over  me.  I'm  think 
ing,"  and  she  looked  at  him  with 
glassy  eyes,  "I'm  thinking  as  I'm 
about  hating  you  and  myself  too 
167 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

to-day.  What  am  I  to  do?  Eh? 
Tell  me?" 

The  sentence  ended  in  a  sort  of 
wail,  and  she  raised  her  hand  to 
her  eyes,  as  if  to  shut  out  the  sun 
light. 

Her  lover  began  to  think  she  was 
either  ill  or  serious.  He  drew  her 
gently  down  on  the  sand  beside  him, 
and  she  sank  into  the  place  he  had 
made  for  her.  He  seized  her  hand 
and  pressed  it  between  both  of 
his — her  long  strong  hand  which  was 
unlike  that  of  any  other  woman  he 
had  known.  p 

1  'Janet!'*  he  said  tenderly,  "be 
reasonable,  dear!  What's  up?  You're 
tired  a  bit,  I  see.  I  know  you  said 
some  nonsense  last  week  about  tell 
ing  your  husband  of  our  love  affair, 
but  you  couldn't  have  been  serious. 
I  knew  that  right  enough,  and  made 
you  promise  not  to  tell  him  till  I 
168 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

saw  you  again,  just  to  make  your 
mind  easy.  My  sweet  old  darling! 
It  would  be  the  maddest  thing  go 
ing  to  do  that!"  He  whistled. 
"By  heaven!  there'd  be  ructions 
then  and  no  mistake.  He'll  never 
be  a  pin  the  wiser,  and  it's  not  as  if  I 
really  took  you  away  from  him, 
you  know — and — and — it  might  be 
confoundedly  bad  for  him  and  upset 
him  just  now,  don't  you  think?" 

"It's  the  lies,"  she  said  simply. 

"What  lies?"  he  asked. 

"Lies!  lies!  it's  all  lies,"  she  went 
on,  wearily, — "nothing  but  lies!" 

"Nonsense,  Janet,"  a  little  im 
patiently — "you're  like  all  women, 
dear,  overstrung  and  all  that.  You 
don't  think  men  tell  their  wives 
their  love  affairs,  do  you?"  He 
laughed  and  half  closed  his  eyes. 
"Not  they,  indeed!  there'd  be  pret- 
169 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

ty  scenes  if  they  did,  I  can  tell  you. 
Then  why  should  you  tell  him?" 

"I  hate  lies/'  said  Janet. 

He  smiled. 

"My  dear!  it's  too  late  now;  we 
may  have  done  wrong, — probably 
have;  we  may  have  done  right — 
don't  believe  we've  quite  done  that — 
but  anyway  it's  done,  that's  certain" 
— he  looked  at  her  meaningly — 
"and  the  best  thing  now  is  for  us 
both  to  hold  our  tongues.  You  par 
ticularly  if  you've  any  sense  or  nice 
feeling  for  that  poor  devil  of  a  hus 
band  of  yours." 

He  picked  a  sand  thistle  and  rub 
bed  off  with  his  thick  forefinger  the 
grey  and  purple  bloom  on  its  leaves, 
as  delicate  as  the  bloom  on  the  grape. 
It  pricked  him,  and  he  flicked  it 
with  finger  and  thumb  over  the 
ridge  of  sand  at  his  feet.  She  watch 
ed  him  wearily,  and  he  went  on: 
170 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

"Your  husband  would  simply 
raise  the  roof  off  the  house  in  a  jeal 
ous  man's  tantrums,  and  what  good 
would  that  do  any  of  us?  You 
can't  help  loving  me/' — he  smiled  at 
her — "I  could  not  for  the  life  of  me 
have  helped  loving  you;  here  we 
were;  in  fact,  here  we  are;  the 
thing's  in  a  nutshell  and  we've  got 
to  make  the  best  of  it.  Let's  shut 
up  this  parson's  drivel.  Don't  spoil 
a  lovely  day  with  old  woman's  rot, 
for  I've  just  hungered  to  get  you 
close  and  fast  in  my  arms  again. 
Come!" 

The  words  startled  her.  She  look 
ed  round  in  terror,  and  her  hands 
shook  so  much  that  she  clasped  them 
tightly  behind  her  back. 

"No!"  she  said  huskily — "never 
no  more — never!" 

"Nonsense,"  he  said,  suddenly 
wakening  to  the  fact  that  he  was 
171 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

losing  her.  " Don't  you  love  me, 
Janet?" 

She  turned  her  beautiful  eyes  full 
on  him  and  laughed  in  a  stupid  way. 

"I  don't  know;  I've  never  asked 
myself  that." 

"What!"  he  retorted.  "Is  your 
body  nothing  to  you  that  you  give 
it  for  play  on  a  summer's  day?" 

He  spoke  bitterly.  She  flinched 
visibly,  and  he  saw  the  anguish 
creeping  all  over  her  face,  and  mak 
ing  it  grey. 

"I  don't  know." 

"Whew!"  he  whistled.  "If  I 
thought " 

He  stopped,  for  he  had  caught  a 
strange  expression  in  her  face  as  she 
looked  at  him.  He  put  his  hands  in 
his  pockets  and  looked  on  the  ground. 

"You've   duped    me,    Janet,"    he 

went  on  emphatically;      "you've — • 
» 

172 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

She  stopped  him  and  said  roughly : 

"And  what  do  you  think  I've 
done  to  yon  man,  then?" 

He  waived  aside  the  question  with 
a  lover's  impatience. 

"Do  you  hear,  Janet?  You're  a 
flirt!  that's  certain,  if  you  mean 
what  you  said  just  now.  You've 
given  yourself  for  an  hour  like  a — " 
he  hesitated  as  he  saw  her  eyes  glit 
ter — "well,  like  other  women  do, 
and  then — you  leave  me" — his  voice 
broke — "leave  me  without  a  decent 
word  to  pull  up  a  fellow's  faith  in 
women  again."  He  covered  his  face 
with  his  hands  and  the  veins  had 
risen  like  cords  in  his  thick  neck, 
and  she  pitied  him. 

"Forgive  me,"  she  said  simply; 
"it's  been  all  wrong,  and  I'm  the 
worst,  as  you  say." 

He  sprang  towards  her  and  put 
his  arm  round  her  as  she  lay  in  the 
173 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

sand;  he  blinded  her  with  kisses. 
His  breathing  became  quick  and 
heavy  and  he  muttered  between  his 
teeth: 

"Damn  it  all!  But  you  shan't  go! 
There!  Do  you  hear?  You  shan't 
go.  I'll  have  you  yet  if  I  kill  him 
for  it;  you  shan't  waste  your  beauty 
on  that  cripple;  I'll  strangle  him  first. 
You  belong  to  me,  Janet — yes,  yes, 
now  and  for  always." 

He  had  her  fast  and  she  felt  that 
her  power  over  him  was  going;  the 
old  delirious  spell  was  creeping  over 
her;  his  strength  and  manhood  were 
lulling  her  soul  to  sleep  again,  and 
a  frenzy  shook  her.  He  leaned  over 
her  as  if  he  would  devour  her;  his 
lips  pressed  hers  closely  and  fever 
ishly,  and  she  saw  the  animal  rising 
in  him  beyond  all  control  as  their 
eyes  were  riveted  together. 
174 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

" Don't!'*   she  screamed. 

But  he  burst  out  with  an  oath  and 
swore  he  would  have  her.  Her  lips 
tightened  and  with  a  quick  move 
ment  she  freed  her  hands  and  with  all 
her  strength  she  pushed  him  from 
her,  as  she  said  in  a  voice  which 
made  his  heart  beat  madly: 

"Stand  up!  Thou't  nothing  but 
a  coward." 

Then  slowly  and  with  set  teeth  the 
words  came  hissing  to  him.  "Lis 
ten!  I  hate  thee,  I  say — hate  thee!" 

He  was  sobered  and  stood  up 
ashamed  of  himself. 

"Forgive  me!"  he  said;  "I  was 
mad;  but  it  was  your  face,  Janet, 
and — and — your  devilish  coldness!" 

"Is  that  how  you  do  love  me?" 

She  sighed  wearily. 

"Is  that  how  men  folks  love? 
That  sort?  You'd  kill  him  and  hurt 
me  and  only  fill  yourself  after  all 
175 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

like  a  pig  without  a  ring  through 
its  nose?" 

"And  what  about  you?  Where's 
your  love  that  you  told  me  of  last 
week?"  he  said  more  gently.  "You 
've  maddened  me,  that's  all,  and  I'm 
a  blundering  idiot  to  frighten  you. 
But,  dearest,  where' s  your  love  I 
felt  so  sure  of  before?" 

She  looked  out  towards  the  rip 
pling  waves  as  they  crept  in  on  the 
big  yellow  sands,  but  she  said  noth 
ing,  only  sighed  as  she  shrugged  her 
shoulders. 

"Speak,  Janet,"  he  said  quickly; 
"out  with  it.  Did  you  lie  last  week 
or  are  you  lying  now?  Speak,  girl." 

She  looked  at  him  in  a  stupid  way 
as  she  clasped  the  loose  folds  of  her 
bodice  with  both  hands;  he  noticed 
how  her  dress  hung  on  her,  and  how 
aged  she  had  become. 
176 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

''I'm  shamed/1  she  said.  "It  were 
all  right  last  week.  What  we  did 
seemed  no  uglier  to  me  then  than 
bathing  in  yon  sea;  but  now,"  she 
shuddered,  "I  feel  a  big  stain  on  me 
as  I  cannot  flick  off  noways,  and  I'm 
fain  to  tell  the  only  one  as  '11  like 
ly  forgive  me." 

The  man  was  getting  bored.  Wo 
men,  women,  women,  he  thought, 
all  the  same  the  world  over;  ready 
enough  to  rake  up  hell-fire,  and  then 
fly  screaming  at  the  smoke  and  flame. 
He  had  foolishly  imagined  that  Janet 
had  "grit"  enough  in  her  to  keep 
passion  fresh  and  strong  and  free 
from  morbid  regrets  and  useless 
taunts.  It  was  a  great  nuisance, 
for  he  really  cared  for  her,  and  now 
these  tantalising  women's  fooleries 
were  going  to  interrupt  their  pleas 
ure.  He  tried  to  pacify  her. 

"Look  here,  Janet,  my  girl!  Just 
177  I2 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

listen  to  me  for  a  minute.  You're 
like  all  good  women — bless  you  for 
it — too  nesh  over  these  things.  I 
assure  you,  dear,  we've  done  no 
real  wrong;  it's  only  your  rotten 
straight-laced  land-rules  over  these 
things  that's  worrying  you.  It  is, 
indeed.  Just  look  at  the  thing  fair 
ly  for  a  second.  Steve's  no  more  a 
husband  to  you  than  that  log  of 
wood."  He  pointed  to  a  piece  of 
old  mast,  lying  on  the  beach,  which 
had  become  partially  buried  in  the 
drifting  sand.  "He's  done  for,  and 
you  know  it.  You  surely  don't 
want  to  spoil  his  last  years  by  tell 
ing  him  what's  come  between  us. 
Now,  that's  wrong,  if  you  like,  to 
try  and  disturb  a  poor  devil  of  a 
cripple  who's  lopped  off  from  women 
and  life  altogether  before  his  time." 

"Don't!"  she  said. 

"The  fact  is,  Janet,  you  know  well 
178 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

enough  the  thing  is  done  and  can't 
be  mended  now,  do  what  we  will." 

"It's  all  lies,"  she  said. 

"Nonsense!  To  hold  your  tongue 
isn't  lying;  we've  got  to  shut  our 
mouths  over  this,  and  that's  all." 

"You  don't  see,"  she  said  wearily. 

"With  your  sort  love  means  most 
ly  that — that — "  she  stammered — 
"what  you  and  me  knows — but 
that  ain't  all  to  wenches,  I'm  think 
ing.  Steve  do  belong  to  me  like  as 
if  I'd  weaned  him  and — it's  all 
lies,  I  tell  you,"  she  ended  abrupt 
ly. 

He  looked  at  her  closely  and  bit 
his  lip. 

"What  do  you  think  will  happen 
if  you  do  tell  him,  Janet?"  he  asked, 
with  the  faintest  trace  of  a  sneer  on 
his  mouth. 

"I  don't  know,"  she  answered. 
179 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

"Well,  I'll  tell  you.  If  he  has  a 
bit  of  a  man  left  in  hin,  he'll  tip  some 
thickset  mate  of  his  to  come  and  tan 
my  skin  for  me;  if  he's  a  mawk,  it'll 
kill  him." 

'Then  why,"  she  wailed,  "why 
did  we  do  it?" 

He  coughed  and  pointed  to  two 
flies  crawling  on  his  hand,  but  she 
had  not  taken  her  eyes  from  his  face. 
"Why  did  we  do  it?"  she  muttered. 

The  why  was  taken  up  by  a  big  bee 
who  buzzed  the  question  in  his  ears 
and  flew  off  at  last  with  a  whizzing 
sound  of  insect  laughter. 

"You  don't  love  me,  Janet,"  he 
said  despondingly,  as  he  looked  into 
her  sad  eyes — "not  a  bit,  dear; 
I've  been  a  stupid  fool  to  believe 
what  you  said." 

She  shivered. 

"You  came  to  me,"  he  went  on 
gently,  resolved  to  try  a  different 
180 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

plan,  "rubbed  off  some  of  my  low 
ideas  about  love,  and  now" — he 
eyed  her  keenly — "you  throw  me 
off  again  to  go  back  to  bought  wo 


men." 


She  stared  at  him  blankly. 

"What!"    she  said  suddenly. 

"You  see,"  he  continued,  think 
ing  he  was  influencing  her,  "men  all 
take  love  or  lust;  we're  made  like 
that  and  it'll  always  be  so  whatever 
the  goody-goody  sort  say." 

He  laid  his  big  hairy  hand  across 
his  open  throat.  "It's  here,  there, 
everywhere,  you  know,  all  over  a 
man,  and  will  out  if  he  has  to  go  to 
hell  for  it." 

"What  will"? 

He  laughed. 

"Why,  it,"  he  said— "sex  or  what 

you  like  to  call  it;  I  don't  know  what 

women   think    about   these   things, 

but  a  man  can't  live  unless  he  has 

181 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

women."  He  slipped  both  thumbs 
in  the  thick  yellow  folds  of  his  belt 
and  whistled.  "Mind!  it's  a  dam 
ned  nuisance  and  often  enough  it's 
more  fag  than  anything  else,  but  it's 
there,  and  you  women  have  the  whole 
thing  in  your  hands.  You  pitch 
us  into  lust  one  day  and  then  stand 
bolt  upright  like  saints  the  next 
and  offer  us  milk  and  water  instead 
of  the  first  red  love-wine." 

She  blushed — why,  she  could  not 
quite  tell,  but  her  eyes  fell  and  her 
hands  shook  a  little. 

"Yes,"  he  said  harshly;  "men  all 
take  it  one  way  or  another;  it  can 
be  bought  like  tobacco  or  rum; 
that's  one  sort;  the  other  sort,  I'm 
thinking,  isn't  much  better,  for  I 
believe  you  pure  women  play  the 
same  game  with  different  cards  be 
hind  the  screen." 
182 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

"I  don't  know  what  you  mean  by 
that/'  said  Janet,  simply. 

"Oh!  nothing!  Only  you  good 
women  are  always  so  afraid  and  tick 
lish  about  little  things.  You  can 
never  go  the  whole  length  of  love; 
you  offer  us  sugar-sticks,  and  when  a 
man  opens  his  mouth  to  bite,  you 
scream  and  hide  the  thing  away  for 
fear  some  other  sinner  should  catch 
you,  then — you  see — "  he  laughed 
again — "you've  made  a  poor  devil's 
mouth  water,  and  so  he  must  drink 
somehow,  and  then  he  damns  him* 
self  and  some  other  woman  in  quick 
sticks." 

She  only  dimly  caught  his  mean 
ing,  but  her  face  grew  whiter  and 
the  large  rings  under  her  beautiful 
blue  eyes  darkened. 

"Then  I've  done  hurt  to  both  of 
you!"  she  said. 

"Well— that's  about  it,"  he  an- 
183 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

swered,  thinking  her  pity  and  re 
morse  might  make  her  yield  to  him. 
"I  wonder  if  you  really  love  either 
of  us?" 

She  sobbed.  Great  deep  breaths 
shook  her  whole  body.  It  was  not 
the  hysterical  grief  of  an  over 
wrought  and  somewhat  shallow  fem 
ininity,  but  the  convulsive  throes  of  a 
woman  in  extremity.  The  man 
watched  her  and  pitied  her.  Poor 
souls,  he  muttered  to  himself;  it 
was  always  like  this!  They  irri 
tate  and  attract  at  the  same  time. 
So  yielding  and  soft  and  lovely  in 
their  utter  abandonment  to  senti 
mentality  of  passion,  and  then — 
plunged  into  despair  or  weakness 
when  their  own  actions  begin  to 
work  out  logically.  He  looked  at 
her  tenderly  from  head  to  heel  and 
noted  her  singular  grace  and  strength 
and  a  curious  feeling  crept  over  him, 
184 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

a  feeling  of  longing  to  protect  and  to 
always  live  with  this  woman  who 
had  come  so  suddenly  into  his  life. 
He  began  to  think  that  perhaps  there 
might  be  a  new  sort  of  happiness  in 
always  being  near  a  woman  who  puz 
zled  and  charmed  him  with  her  fresh 
goodness,  which  did  not  smell  of 
either  parsons  or  books.  He  knelt 
down  on  the  sand  near  her  and  fold 
ed  his  arms  about  her  waist  as  she 
stood  sobbing. 

"Don't,"  she  said  gently,  as  she 
bent  and  unloosed  his  hands.  He 
obeyed  her  at  once  and  she  sat  down 
near  him.  He  began  to  feel  curious 
ly  afraid  of  her,  and  his  voice  sound 
ed  thick  and  unnatural  as  he  spoke 
to  her. 

"Janet,  Janet,  listen  to  me!  Come! 

try  and  cheer  up  a  bit!    Let's  drop 

this  confounded  subject;     tell  me, 

just  once,  that  you  care  for  me,  and 

185 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

I'll  be  satisfied  and  wait  for  you — 
yes,  I  will,  my  dear." 

His  face  had  grown  paler. 

"I  will,  indeed — until  you  feel 
you  can  come.  I  will,  upon  my  soul, 
Janet,  for  I  love  you,  as  I  have  never 
loved  anyone  before." 

He  spoke  the  truth,  and  she  be 
lieved  him  and  smiled  through  her 
tears. 

"Thank  you  for  that,"  she  said. 

His  eyes  were  grave  and  tender  as 
one  of  her  tears  fell  on  his  hand  as  he 
held  both  of  hers,  and  his  thick 
under-lip  quivered. 

"Hush!  hush!  Janet;  you  fright 
en  me.  I  will  not  hurt  you  nor 
force  you!  I  will  wait!  Wait  for 
years!  but — tell  me,  darling,  just 
once — tell  me  you  love  me?" 

She  stammered  out  between  her 
sobs: 

"I  don't  know;  I  seem  to  know 
186 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

naught  now,  naught  but  that  I 
must  tell  that  man;  the  thought  of 
that  fairly  eats  into  me — the  thought 
that  I've  lied  to  him  and  him  so 
straight  and  fair  and  good  to  me." 

She  lay  back  in  the  sand  and  her 
sobs  came  at  longer  intervals. 

"You  see,"  she  said,  "I  knew 
naught  about  things,  seemly,  till 
last  week;  I've  been  a  wife  all  these 
years  and  yet — "  she  stammered  and 
blushed — "it  seems  now  as  I  do  un 
derstand  more  what  God  Hisself 
kens  over  women.  I  can't  put  it  in 
straight  words  even  to  myself,  though 
I've  moithered  my  brains  all  night 
over  it." 

The  man  watched  her  and  longed 
to  touch  her;  a  sweeping  rush  of 
desire  simply  to  kiss  her  hand  took 
hold  of  him.  For  the  moment  that 
was  all  he  wanted — just  to  take  that 
long  firm  hand  and  hold  it  between 
187 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

his  in  an  ecstasy  of  silence,  but  he 
never  moved;  something  held  him 
back,  and  he  looked  at  her  hot  face 
and  burning  eyes. 

"What  else?"  he  said  stupidly. 

"We've  longings  like  you,"  she 
started,  and  then  sat  and  faced  him — 
"yes,  I'll  say  out  for  once  what's  craz 
ing  me — we're  not  cold  and  fright 
ened  like  you  do  say;  we're  just  as 
fierce,  just  as  warm  and" — with  a 
gasp — "just  as  mad  over  the  flesh 
of  what  we  do  love  as  you,  and 
madder,  too,  for  we  can't  rend  our 
selves  from  what  we've  kissed  no 
ways — no,  not  noways,  and  you  men 
folks  can." 

"But  you  are  going  to  leave  me?" 
he  said  meaningly,  as  he  bent  over 
her. 

"I  don't  know,"she  said— "I  only 
know  as  I  can  never  leave  him — no 
not  for  no  one,  and  not  if  God  His- 
188 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

self  told  me  it  were  right  and  fit  as  I 
should. "  She  clasped  her  hands 
together  and  gazed  out  to  sea. 

"We  comes  to  love  the  men  as  we 
does  for  as  we  grows  to  love  the 
childer  we  has  pains  for.  When  I'm 
mending  Steve's  coat,  and  I  comes 
on  a  rubbed  place  like  as  seems  to  be 
a  bit  of  hisself,  I  feels  something 
come  over  me  as  I  believe  is  the  same 
sort  as  men  folks  feel  when  they've 
got  a  wench  all  to  theirselves — body 
and  soul — for  the  first  time.  It's 
not  fudge,"  she  said,  as  she  saw 
a  smile  in  his  eyes, — "I  know  it 
isn't,  for  I've  seen  it  in  other  wen 
ches  when  they're  knitting  or  put 
ting  up  their  men's  bagging  in  hay 
ing  time.  Women  lives  on  bits  of 
things — men  needs  hunks  of  every 
thing,  but  our  bits  taste  as  sweet 
to  us  as  your  hunks  to  you." 

He  scarcely  heard  what  she  said; 
189 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

he  was  trying  to  understand  what 
had  come  over  him;  he  looked  round 
on  the  miles  of  yellow  sands  and  then 
out  to  sea.  Not  a  soul  was  near. 
He  was  strong,  she  was  only  a  wo 
man — they  were  alone  and  she  was 
absolutely  in  his  power,  and  yet — 
he  was  amazed  at  the  strangeness 
of  the  situation — he  had  not  even 
the  courage  to  take  her  hand  and 
hold  it  for  an  instant  close  to  his 
heart.  He  gazed  at  her  in  a  stupid 
way,  like  a  man  in  a  dream,  and 
asked : 

"Did  you  speak,  Janet?" 

"I  was  only  saying  that  when  a 
woman  has  done  for  a  man,  fettled 
his  house  for  him  and  tended  him  and 
got  used  to  his  voice  and  his  ways,  it 
don't  really  matter  if  he  gets  crippled 
like  Steve;  he's  hers — she  can't 
get  free  of  that,  and  she  can  no  more 
190 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

get  loose  from  him  than  she  can  from 
her  own  flesh." 

He  gazed  at  her  in  bewilderment: 

"But,  Janet,"— he  hesitated,  and 
added  nervously,  "if  you  really  feel 
like  that,  how  can  you — ahem — 
love  two  men?" 

She  blushed  and  faced  him,  and 
her  deep  voice  vibrated  as  she  an 
swered  quickly: 

"I've  taken  a  whole  week  to  puz 
zle  that  out,  and  I'm  no  nearer  see 
ing  things.  I  reckon  I'll  never  find 
out  why  what  were  sweet  and  good 
to  me  a  week  ago  is  foul  and  bad  to 
me  now.  I  know  naught,  I  tell 
thee — naught  but  one  thing,  I  must 
tell  the  man,  and  this  very  night." 

"Then  it's  all  up,"  he  said  stupid 
ly;  "that's  checkmate  right  enough. 
I've  lost  you!" 

"I  don't  rightly  know;  that's  as 
you  reckon  things.  I  can't  abide 
191 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

lies,  and  it  is  lies  for  a  woman  to 
cheat  her  man.  If  I  was  a  man  I 
would  stand  anything  but  that — 
that  and  wheedling,  which  is  some 
thing  like  cheating  and  lying  in 


one." 


"Poor  devil!"  he  said.  "It'll  fin 
ish  him." 

"You  don't  know  the  likes  of 
Steve,"  she  answered  sharply.  "I'm 
shamed  to  go  and  tell  him — shamed," 
and  her  face  contracted,  "but  it 
'd  finish  me  if  I  went  on  acting  to 
him  as  I'm  doing  now.  I  must  bide 
by  his  will,  and  if  he  shoves  me  out  I 
can't  help  it,  but  I  reckon  he'll  per 
haps  sum  up  the  thing  straighter  than 
I  can,  or  you  either." 

"It's  a  confounded  business,"  he 
muttered. 

"Nothing  matters  like  lies,"  she 
said. 

192 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

"Not  even  love,"  he  answered  bit 
terly. 

She  stood  up,  and  put  her  hand  on 
his  shoulder;  her  tight  grip  sent  his 
blood  hotly  through  his  veins;  what 
would  happen  next?  He  did  not 
care;  a  thrill  of  joy  went  over  him 
as  she  touched  him,  and  he  did 
not  attempt  to  move. 

"Listen!"  he  heard  her  say.  "I 
don't  know  much  about  what  goes 
on  out  yonder,  in  the  big  cities 
where  you  say  women  sells  their 
bodies  for  naught  but  common  brass, 
but  I  can  tell  you  this:"  her  eyes 
sought  his  and  then  suddenly  drop 
ped  and  her  hand  slipped  from  his 
shoulder — "if  I  hadn't  felt  a  feeling 
to  you  as  seemed  to  come  fresh  and 
sweet  from  God  Hisself,  I  couldn't 
have  let  you  come  nigh  me — no, 
nor  him  neither" — pointing  inland. 
"I  want  you  to  mind  that  for  his 
193 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

sake;  it's  his  wife  and  not  his  wan 
ton  as  you've  kissed.  Mind  that 
always,  and  some  day" — she  laughed 
softly — "I'd  be  rare  and  glad  to  see 
you  two  grip  each  other's  hands. 
Yes;  I  don't  see  why  not,  for  you 
meant  no  wrong  to  me,  and  he'll 
ken  that  fast  enough,  I'm  thinking." 

The  man  looked  at  her  and  smiled. 

"And  what  about  you,  Janet; 
what  do  you  think  he'll  say  of  that?" 

She  crimsoned  painfully,  and  her 
voice  shook  as  she  answered  him: 

"I'll  be  fair  and  tell  him  everything 
— how  it  came  like  a  great  wind  over 
me — how  I  forgot  even  him  for  it — 
how — how — "  she  put  out  her  hands 
towards  him — "how  something  car 
ried  me  away — away — something  as 
I've  never  even  felt  for  him — -some 
thing  as  strong  and  awful  as  death 
itself — which  cast  me  down  and  made 
me  forget  the  man  as  I  love  best  in 
194 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

all  the  world.  Do  you  think  he'll 
not  believe  me?  I  reckon  he'll  per 
haps  give  me  the  only  comfort  I 
can  get  now,  for  he  do  love  me  and — 
and — he'll  believe  in  me  in  spite  of 
everything." 

"You're  a  hopeful  woman,  Janet, 
and  I'm  a  damned  fool  to  have  ever 
tempted  you.  No,  I  shall  never  see 
Steve  Trenoweth;  women  don't 
know  men,  my  dear,  when  they  can 
talk  like  you.  You'll  learn  a  little 
more  by  and  by.  Don't  you  see 
that  if  we  met,  if  he  didn't  shie  the 

poker  at  me,  I  should  have  to " 

He  stopped  abruptly,  as  he  saw  he 
was  paining  her.  "No,  no  Janet; 
you  can  never  understand ;  men  are 
wolves  when  they  really  love  a  wo 
man,  and  wolves  don't  share  their 
choicest  morsels  except  in  fairy 
tales." 

She  turned  to  go,  and  he  made  no 
195 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

attempt  to  stop  her.  He  had  grown 
suddenly  very  tired ;  his  limbs  ached 
as  if  with  fever,  and  noises  came  in 
his  ears  and  head.  He  tried  to 
speak,  but  no  sound  would  come; 
he  willed  himself  to  walk  towards 
Janet  and  take  her  in  his  arms, 
but  he  felt  the  sensation  of  night 
mare;  his  legs  refused  to  move, 
and  he  saw  as  in  a  dream  the  face 
and  figure  of  the  woman  who  was 
leaving  him.  She  touched  his  hands, 
and  he  thought  he  heard  her  say 
quite  close  to  him  in  her  Lancashire 
brogue,  "Bless  you,"  but  he  was  not 
sure.  He  was  sure  of  nothing  ex 
cept  that  he  must  be  going  mad,  for 
the  sea  seemed  to  have  suddenly 
crept  into  the  sky,  and  he  distinct 
ly  saw  the  wavelets  over  his  head 
and  heard  the  dash  of  the  water 
above  him.  This  could  only  be  the 
beginning  of  some  horrible  delusion, 
196 


HE  SHADED  HIS  FACE  WITH  HIS  HANDS,  AND  GAZED 
ACROSS  THE  SANDS 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

and  he  made  a  tremendous  effort 
to  shake  himself  into  his  usual 
self-possession.  He  moved  at  last 
and  leaned  over  the  brink  of  the 
sandhill  where  they  had  both  lain. 
He  shaded  his  face  with  his  hands 
and  gazed  across  the  yellow  sands 
toward  the  black  rocks  in  the  dis 
tance.  A  groan  burst  from  him 
as  he  sprang  to  his  feet,  for  he  had 
traced  her  as  she  rounded  the  cliff. 
Only  one  idea  seemed  to  possess  him 
as  he  looked  at  her  in  the  distance — 
the  longing  that  she  would  turn  and 
wave  her  hands  to  him  to  give  him 
hope  to  wait  for  her.  She  had  turn 
ed  towards  him  and  was  looking  up 
wards.  The  setting  sun  had  wrap 
ped  her  in  colour;  he  stretched  out 
his  hands  towards  her  and  waited 
for  a  sign,  but  she  turned  and  went 
slowly  behind  the  black  ledge  of 
rocks.  The  man  shivered  as  with 
197 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

cold  and  cursed  the  fates,  for  he 
suddenly  realised  that  she  could  not 
have  seen  him,  since  a  heavy,  dank 
Cornish  mist  had  spread  over  the 
sandhills  and  covered  from  the  eyes 
of  the  woman  who  stood  in  the  glow 
of  the  sunset  the  figure  of  the  man 
who  watched  from  the  hills. 


198 


CHAPTER  VII 


CHAPTER  VII 

"Darn  ye  then!"  said  Nan  Curtis, 
as  she  opened  her  door  in  answer  to  a 
loud  peal  at  the  bell  which  made  her 
jump  quickly  to  her  feet  and  leave 
the  cleaning  of  her  slab.  "Oh!  my 
dear!  be  it  you?  Darn  ye,  woman! 
do  ye  want  to  scatter  the  house  on 
my  ears  with  breaking  the  bell 
pull?" 

She  looked  at  Loveday  and  snort 
ed,  smiling  reproof  and  welcome  at 
her.  "Come  in,  do,"  she  went  on, 
"and  sit  ye  down.  Why!  you're 
all  of  a  tremble,  woman!  What  be 
wrong?" 

Loveday's  fat  face  was  bathed  in 
perspiration,  and  her  eyes  seemed 
rounder  than  ever.  She  pulled  Nan 
201 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

into  the  kitchen,  and  stood  facing 
her  with  arms  akimbo  and  legs 
apart. 

"Woman!"  she  gasped.  "I've 
tumbled  on  the  secret  of  them  weeds 
at  last.  Guess?  No!  ye'll  never 
reckon  it  up.  Oh!  my  blessed  life! 
It's  worse  nor  awful  the  slyness  of 
the  minx!" 

She  stopped  for  breath,  and  Nan, 
who  had  seated  herself  on  the  horse 
hair  sofa  opposite  Loveday,  folded 
her  arms  and  opened  her  mouth 
wide,  showing  the  yellow  tusk  which 
seemed  ready  to  devour  gossip  and 
scandal  wholesale. 

"What  the  devil  do  you  mean, 
woman!"  she  snapped  at  last. 
"Don't  stand  there  gaping  at  a 
body,  but  out  with  it.  Is  it  some 
thing  gone  wrong  with  Clibby 
Steve's  woman?" 

Loveday  smiled  knowingly,  and 
202 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

pursed  up  one  eye  in  a  suggestive 
wink. 

"Why!  the  whole  place  '11  know 
the  truth  afore  nightfall.  Mincing 
jade!  with  her  fine  face  and  up- 
along  airs;  she's  been  seen  over  Bos 
Kivven  way  with  a  chap  as  don't 
belong  hereabouts  at  all,  and" — 
with  a  gasp — "them  weeds  is,  what 
I've  reckoned  all  along,  nothing  but 
pap  to  stop  up  Steve's  mouth  with, 
and  she's  played  the  fool  with  all 
of  we,  sure  enough!" 

She  stopped  a  moment  to  pick 
her  teeth  with  a  large  brass  pin  she 
took  from  the  bosom  of  her  dress, 
and  then  laughed  loudly. 

"Oh!  my  Lord!  I'm  as  glad  as  if 
anybody  'd  given  me  a  maying,  to 
have  found  her  out.  Proud  up 
start  !  as  always  seemed  too  good  and 
fine  to  have  a  man  lay  a  finger  on 
her!" 

203 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

She  folded  her  arms  and  leaned 
heavily  on  one  leg  as  she  continued : 

"But  mind  you,  mate,"  and  she 
stared  fixedly  at  Nan,  "I'm  sorry  for 
Steve,  for  it's  a  bad  job  for  him,  sure 
enough!" 

"It's  blasted  lies,  I'm  thinking," 
said  Nan,  emphatically.  "I  don't 
belong  to  hearken  nor  yet  to  credit 
all  as  I  sees,  much  less  hears!  Any 
ways,  I'm  none  going  to  believe  that 
of  Janet,  or  I  should  think  as  eyes 
was  given  to  some  folks  for  the  very 
purpose  of  taking  in  their  own  flesh 
and  blood.  Janet  be  no  wanton, 
I'll  be  bound,  and  if  she's  walked 
with  a  man — well — let  me  tell  ye, 
Loveday,  my  dear,  that  none  of  us 
can  throw  mud  at  her  for  that,  for  I 
believe,  if  my  winders  don't  lie, 
as  you've  walked  with  three  chaps 
up-along  and  down-along  this  very 
week." 

204 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

"Walked!"  grunted  Loveday,  who 
was  not  very  pleased  that  her  full- 
flavoured  piece  of  news  should  be 
disparaged  in  this  way;  "as  likely 
as  not  I've  walked  with  chaps,  but 
none  of  ye  have  seed  me  lying  with 
a  man — now!" 

She  delivered  this  speech  with  full 
force,  and  waited  triumphantly  for 
the  effect  on  Nan. 

"Darn  ye!  what  be  you  trying  to 
do  now,  Loveday?  Flinging  a  wo 
man's  name  in  the  mud  because 
your  own  petticoats  is  none  so  clean ! 
I'm  shamed  for  you.  A  bit  of 
dirty  or  measly  talk  over  neighbours 
is  right  enough;  it  do  make  the  day 
go  by  a  bit  quicker  and  sends  a  body 
to  bed  with  a  chuckle,  and  that  often 
enough  brings  you  to  sleep,  if  you 
be  a  bit  waken;  but  there's  a  broad 
difference,  let  me  tell  ye,  between 
a  bit  of  pastime  and  a  lump  of  malice 
205 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

and  envy.  Yes!  I  do  mean  what  I 
say,"  as  she  saw  Loveday  drop  into 
a  chair  with  her  lower  lip  pouting  in 
anger.  "Yes!  A  lot  of  talk  over 
that  woman  be  nothing  in  the  world 
but  blooming  spite.  I  likes  her  for 
herself,  for  there  was  no  talk  of  looks 
when  I  were  made,  and  I  do  belong 
to  seek  beauty  outside  my  own  mir 
ror.  Fd  believe  flash  things  of  she, 
but  never  what  you  do  say,  though 
you  swore  it  on  your  family  Bible." 

" Humph!"  sneered  Loveday,  net 
tled  by  this  new  attitude  in  her 
friend.  "If  you  be  for  upholding 
them  sort  of  things  it's  getting  time 
as  you  and  me  should  be  seeing  less 
of  one  another.  I  always  was  one  as 
stood  up  for  a  married  woman  cleav 
ing  to  her  man,  even  if  he's  nothing 
but  a  bundle  of  chaff,  in  a  manner  of 
speaking,  as  Steve  be;  and  it  do  turn 
my  liver  and  stomach  sour  to  think 
206 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

of  that  mincing  jade  kissing  strange 
men  and  meeting  of  'em  agin  and 
agin  unbeknown  to  honest  folks." 

Nan  was  alarmed,  for  she  began  to 
fear  that  Loveday  had  some  reason 
for  her  venom. 

"Out  with  it,  woman!  Who's 
seen  what,  and  which  devil  have 
been  so  close  to  thy  earhole  as  to  fill 
it  with  this  foul  talk?" 

Loveday   grinned. 

"Did  you  see  me  with  Snowball 
Jack  up  street  a  while  since?" 

"No!"  snapped  Nan;  "were  you 
walking  with  a  man  then?" 

Loveday  laughed  coarsely. 

"Yes,  woman,  I  were,  sure  enough, 
but  I  weren't  lying  in  the  sand  with 
him  and  kissing  of  him,  and  that's 
what  Janet  were  seen  doing  of  early 
this  afternoon,  and  him  as  seen  her 
said  as  how  he'd  take  his  oath  afore 
God  and  a  whole  bench  of  jurymen 
207 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

as  it  were  none  other  but  Janet  her 
self.  What  do  you  think  of  her  now 
— eh?"  with  a  triumphant  smile. 

Nan  stood  taut  and  square,  and 
her  short  skirts  seemed  to  bristle 
out  from  her  small  stiff  body,  as  if 
in  protest  against  their  owner  being 
snared  by  a  trap  of  any  kind.  She 
cleared  her  throat  and  spat  in  the  ash 
pan,  and  then  dug  her  knuckles  in 
a  friendly  way  into  Loveday's  arm. 

"I  tell  you  what  I  do  think/'  she 
said;  "I  think  that  Snowball  Jack, 
if  it's  him  as  has  seed  all  this  moon 
shine,  must  be  a  darned  fool;  for 
when  Janet  do  go  up-along  for  them 
weeds,  she's  well  beyond  the  reach  of 
the  eyeholes  of  men  as  bides  along 
of  us."  Loveday  smiled  and  blew 
her  nose  on  the  corner  of  her  dirty 
apron: 

"No;  she's  got  within  hail  for 
once't.  Snowball  Jack  were  sent  up- 
208 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

along  last  night  to  Bos  Kivven  Cliff 
to  watch  for  the  mackerel  boats  and 
to  help  unload,  for  there's  shoals 
of  fish  looked  for  thereabouts,  and 
he  were  coasting  till  three  o'clock 
and  no  boats  had  been  sighted,  so 
he  corned  home  to  once't,  and  I 
just  met  him  with  his  mouth  hot 
to  bursting  with  what  he'd  spied 
up-along." 

"He's  mistook  some  coorting  pair 
for  her,  I'll  be  bound.  Snowball 
Jack,  seems  to  me,  is  the  onlikeliest 
man  as  should  spy  over  them  things; 
he  do  know  how  to  coort,  sure 
enough,  without  prying  over  cliffs  to 
get  new  lights  on  that  job." 

Loveday  laughed  and  smirked  as 
she  rolled  the  corner  of  her  apron 
between  her  fat  fingers. 

"What's  done  in  wedlock  and 
what's  done  out,  seems  to  me,  is  two 
different  things.  It  can't  be  reckon- 
209 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

ed  harm  to  kiss  and  cuddle  before 
hand,  just  to  get  your  hand  in  for 
a  long  job  by  and  by,  but  when  you 
're  fully  wed,  seems  to  me,  it's  worse 
nor  devil's  work  to  chop  and  change 
one  man  with  another." 

"Darn  ye,  woman!"  snorted  Nan* 
who  was  now  putting  the  finishing 
touches  to  her  slab ;  "go  to  thy  home 
and  do  some  chars  and  forget  the 
lies  as  thee's  heard,  for  I'm  certain 
sure  they're  lies  and  that  Steve's 
Janet  would  do  yet  to  plead  for 
both  of  us  over  kissing,  even  be 
fore  the  Throne  at  the  Judgment 
time." 

Loveday  stared  at  Nan  in  a  be 
wildered  sort  of  way  and  sighed. 

"Well!  it's  the  first  time  as  a 
neighbour  have  told  me  to  go  out  of 
her  house,  and  all  'cause  of  a  woman 
as  weren't  never  fitty  and  should 
never  have  come  among  us  honest 
210 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

folks  at  all.  Yes!  I'll  holler  as 
loud  as  I've  a  mind  to;"  as  Nan  put 
her  fingers  in  her  ears  to  drown  the 
angry  tones  which  Loveday's  high- 
pitched  voice  had  taken.  "I  were 
born  hollering,  and  when  I  do  want 
a  mate  to  understand  me-  I  hollers 
louder  than  be  natural  to  me.  Fm 
fair  befoolt  over  this  job,  and  I 
should' nt  have  thought  as  my  own 
companion,  as  I've  knowed  for  years, 
'd  take  sides  with  a  loose  female 
agin  me." 

She  sniffled  and  applied  the  apron 
corner  to  her  eye.  Nan  rubbed  away 
at  her  stove  and  said  nothing  for 
sometime;  then  she  suddenly  turned 
round,  faced  Loveday  and  yapped. 
Loveday  peeped  from  behind  her 
apron  and  sniffled  louder  than  ever. 
Nan  went  to  a  cupboard  near  the 
stove  and  brought  out  a  ginger  beer 
bottle  containing  some  colourless 
211 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

fluid.  Loveday  sobbed  piteously 
from  behind  the  apron,  and  Nan 
yapped  fiercely  as  she  undid  the 
cork. 

"Here,  woman!  I  canna  abide  to 
see  a  female  weep;  it  do  always  give 
me  the  crawls,"  and  she  shivered  as 
she  spoke. 

"Dry  thy  eyes,  mate,  and  have  a 
pennoth.  I  do  keep  it  handy  for 
buryings  and  sudden  qualms.  I 
didn't  mean  any  hurt  to  you,  my 
dear,  not  at  all,  sure  enough,  but 
I'm  thinking  lately  when  I  do  sit 
here  knitting  a  bit  as  it's  women 
theirselves  as  strips  women  of  chan 
ces  every  bit  as  close  as  men  do  be 
long  to  do.  Something  as  a  artist 
chap  said  to  me  back  along  have 
made  me  hutch  up  closer  to  fe 
males  than  I  belong  to  do;  none  of 
us  be  so  mighty  decent  as  we  need 
be  flinging  muck  at  otherfolk!" 
212 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

"Gosh!"  exclaimed  Loveday. 
"Seems  to  me  you  must  be  getting 
not  exactly,  Nan,  for  you've  always 
been  one  as  'd  uphold  the  tie  between 
husbands  and  wives,  and  it's  not 
that  neither;  it's  the  blooming 
cheating  of  the  jade,  with  her  inno 
cent  rose-pink  face  and  her  grainy 
way,  as  always  gives  you  the  notion 
as  she  be  mixed  with  different  stuff 
to  us."  She  spat  on  the  floor.  "I 
do  hate  her;  she's  never  once't 
spoke  a  seemly  word  to  me  since  she 
corned  to  the  place,  and  Clibby 
Steve's  house  ain't  never  been  half 
the  house  for  a  gossip  since  he 
brought  the  maid  home.  I  can  reckon 
the  day  when  the  old  un  had  it  all 
her  own  way,  and  then  it  were 
something  like." 

Loved  ay's  eyes  were  dry  now,  and 
she  folded  her  arms  and  put  her  head 
sentimentally  on  one  side.  "Oh! 
213 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

my  blessed  life!  What  times  they 
was  to  be  sure!  I've  had  many  a 
tasty  bit  and  many  a  long  mag  with 
the  old  un  afore  Janet  corned  and 
made  all  so  different  like." 

"Drat  ye!"  said  Nan  shortly, 
"drink  this,  and  don't  be  sparey  with 
the  bottle,  woman;  you're  welcome 
you  do  know,  and  it'll  happen  make 
you  feel  less  down,  I'm  thinking." 

Loveday's  eyes  gleamed,  and  she 
took  the  bottle  and  poured  out  a 
small  quantity  of  the  fluid  without 
adding  any  water  to  it.  She  smacked 
her  lips  and  looked  fondly  at  Nan. 

"My  handsome!  it's  just  splendid. 
I  could  always  feel  chirpy  if  I'd  be 
sure  of  getting  a  drop  of  that  once't 
or  twice  in  the  week.  It  sends  your 
blood  dancing  and  singing  someway 
and  warms  the  very  cockles  of  your 
heart.  Just  a  leetle  sup  more,  my 
dear." 

214 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

Nan  poured  out  another  generous 
helping,  and  then  raised  the  bottle 
to  the  light,  grunted  audibly,  and 
put  it  back  in  its  place  in  the  cup 
board.  When  she  turned,  Loveday 
had  drunk  the  second  dose  and  was 
standing  up  ready  to  go. 

"Thank  you,  my  dear/1  Her  fat 
hands  were  spread  over  her  "lower 
stomach,"  as  she  called  the  most 
prominent  part  of  her  person.  "It's 
a  lovely  feeling  I've  got  over  me, 
like  nothing  else  as  I  do  know,  ex 
cept,"  with  a  grin,  "being  converted. 
My  gosh!  that  is  a  lively  thing  any 
way.  You  do  know  I've  gone  through 
with  it  once't  or  twice,  my  dear,  and 
it  give  me  a  feeling  just  like  I  have 
now,  a  sort  of  soothing  restful  kind 
of  feeling  as  took  out  all  the  snarls 
and  crusty  thoughts  as  I  had  agin 
everybody.  Have  you  ever  been 
converted,  mate?" 
215 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

Nan  showed  her  large  yellow  tusks 
and  yapped. 

"Yes,  woman,  but  it  ended  in 
coortship  sure  enough,  and  afore  the 
blooming  feeling  had  passed  off  I 
were  being  captained  upstairs  and 
down  till  I  were  crazy.  I  should 
never  have  been  wedded,  I'm  think 
ing,  if  I'd  never  have  been  converted, 
and  I've  fought  shy  of  the  chapels 
since,  for  I  paid  for  that  bit  o'  holi 
day  feeling  for  six  year,  and  I'm 
none  going  to  put  my  head  in  the 


noose  no  more." 


"I  commend  ye,"  said  Loveday, 
slowly,  and  then  looking  at  Nan  in  a 
fixed  way,  she  said  suddenly: 

"Woman!  that  stuff  as  you've 
give  me  is  doing  me  a  power  of  good. 
I've  been  nearly  throwing  myself 
over  the  cliff  this  last  week  or  two. 
I'm  most  mazed  with  thinking  about 
things,  Nan."  She  laughed  stupid- 
216 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

ly  and  sidled  up  to  her  friend  and 
jerked  her  in  the  ribs.  "I've  been 
going  a  bit  too  far  with  Snowball 
Jack,  and — and — "  she  laughed  again 
— "do  you  reckon  there's  much  good 
in  taking  green  tea  for  to  get  clear 
again?  I've  drunk  pints  of  it  since 
last  month,  when  I  were  sure." 

Nan  looked  at  her. 

"Thee  be  a  darned  fool,  woman!" 

Loved  ay   smiled. 

"Yes,  I  do  know,  but  it  can't 
be  helped  now;  he  give  me  some  stuff 
or  another  to  drink,  my  dear,  and  it 
were  a  cold  damping  sort  of  day,  and 
I  took  it  to  keep  the  creeps  off  of  me, 
and — "  she  sniggered,  "well,  woman, 
you  do  know,  but  I'm  fearing  it's 
going  to  be  a  pest  this  time.  What 
shall  I  do?" 

"Do!"  snapped  Nan;  "go  down 
on  your  marrow  bones  and  bide  your 
217 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

time  and  don't  you  slime  another  wo 
man  with  foul  names." 

Loveday   whimpered. 

"You  said  just  now  as  how  you 
reckoned  women  should  hold  by 
women,  and  so,"  with  a  hysterical 
sob,  "and  so — I  told  you,  and  all 
you  can  do  for  me  seemly  is  to 
preach  at  me,  and  I'm  that — that — 
weary  and  down  in  the  mouth  till" 
— her  sobs  became  louder — "till  I'm 
not  sure  what  I  mayn't  do  yet!" 

Nan  went  to  the  cupboard  once 
more  and  sighed  wearily  as  she  again 
brought  forward  the  ginger-beer  bot 
tle.  She  planted  it  on  the  table  near 
Loveday,  and  said  sharply: 

"Finish   it,   woman!" 

Loveday  meekly  obeyed,  and  wip 
ed  her  heated  face  with  one  corner  of 
her  apron  and  blew  her  nose  hastily 
with  the  other  corner. 

"You  be  the  only  friend  as  I  have, 
218 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

my  dear/'  she  sobbed,  "and  I  don't 
know  what  'd  become  of  me  if  you 
died  or  anything;  I  don't  indeed!" 

The  gin  was  beginning  to  take  ef 
fect.  Her  head  lolled  on  one  side, 
she  sank  into  a  big  chair,  rested  her 
elbows  on  its  arms  and  looked  stupid 
ly  at  Nan,  who  was  now  sitting  taut 
and  grave,  with  her  eyes  fixed  upon 
Loveday,  while  her  right  hand  clasp 
ed  the  empty  bottle. 

"Don't  you  stare  at  me  like  that, 
woman,"  whimpered  Loveday.  "I'm 
no  worse  nor  any  other  up-along  or 
down-along,  and  neither  him  nor 
me's  been  fooling  any  other  body!" 
She  raised  her  head.  "I'd  scorn  to 
do  what  some  do  belong  to  do,  play 
games  with  married  men." 

"Darn  ye!    husht!"     interrupted 

Nan.    "There's    little    picking    and 

choosing    in    these    jobs.     It's    like 

walnuts  and  red  cabbage  in  vinegar; 

219 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

they're  a  different  sort  afore  they 
get  in  the  bottle,  but  when  you  comes 
to  taste  'em  afterwards  they're  much 
of  a  muchness." 

She  folded  her  small  thin  hands 
together  and  sighed.  Then  sudden 
ly  she  sat  down  near  Loveday  and 
smoothed  out  her  gown  carefully 
over  her  knees. 

"I've  been  thinking,"  she  went  on 
slowly,  "since  I've  seen  more  of 
folks  and  things,  that  it's  best  to 
hold  your  jaw  and  watch  a  bit. 
No  one,  seems  to  me,  can't  rightly 
blame  nor  yet  praise  another  body, 
for  it's  more  nor  likely  ye'll  praise 
the  devil  and  smut  the  saint,  for 
some  of  us  have  fleas'  eyes  for  to 
ferret  out  the  good  and  asses'  ears 
for  harking  to  the  bad.  The  ways 
of  men  and  women  is  far  enough  be 
yond  the  ken  of  common  folks,  and 
I  sometimes  reckon  that  love's  a 
220 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

frenzy  as  He  that  has  made  us  can 
hardly  count  upon  at  all  at  times, 
and" — she  suddenly  remembered 
Loveday,  for  she  had  been  talking 
to  herself — "and — it  be  no  manner  of 
use  for  thee  to  poison  thy  blood  with 
green  tea;  it's  likely  the  will  of  God 
for  you  to  bear  the  fruits  of  thy 
pleasuring,  and,  anyway,  even  if  it's 
only  a  bit  of  sport  the  devil  be  hav 
ing  wi'  thee,  it  will  happen  to  teach 
thee  not  to  grab  the  next  bit  of 
dirty  pleasure  as  comes  along  to  ye 
when  thee  be  too  drunk  to  reckon 
with  it." 

But  Loveday  was  fast  asleep,  and 
her  snoring  made  Nan  smile. 

"It's  almost  as  loud  as  some  folks 
singing,"  she  said,  as  she  went  over 
and  looked  earnestly  at  her  compan 
ion.  She  sighed,  and  opened  the 
door  softly  and  went  into  the  "best 
parlour"  to  dust  it.  She  rubbed  the 
221 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

mahogany  framework  of  a  high- 
backed  chair  with  great  vigour,  and 
then  stopped  a  moment  to  take 
breath.  Her  eyes  lighted  upon  a 
portrait  of  a  stern  old  man  which 
held  the  place  of  honour  in  the  room. 
It  was  her  dead  "captain,"  and  she 
sighed  once  more,  and  as  she  rubbed 
the  twisted  legs  of  the  chair  on  her 
bended  knees,  she  muttered  beneath 
her  breath: 

"Darn  the  blooming  mag!  it  do 
grow  like  ferns  in  the  lewth,  and  no 
body,  neither  devil  nor  angel,  can 
stop  it.  It  be  like  a  gale  of  wind; 
yer  canna  tell  where  it  do  rise  from 
of  a  suddint  like,  but  it  do  drown  a 
body  without  showing  of  itself,  or 
tear  up  the  houseplace  like  magic. 
Ugh!" 

She  glanced  out  of  her  big  windows 
towards  the  shore.  Regardless  of 
seasons,  the  sea  on  this  summer  night 
222 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

was  in  one  of  its  wildest  moods. 
Great  white  breakers  dashed  round 
the  black  projecting  rocks,  and  the 
wind  hissed  and  whistled  as  if  it 
were  preparing  itself  for  screaming 
like  a  crazy  woman.  Twilight  was 
rapidly  deepening  into  darkness.  A 
draught  which  came  from  the  loose 
ly  fastened  sash  of  the  window  made 
Nan  shudder;  it  seemed  to  pierce 
through  every  nook  and  crevice  of 
the  room,  and  intensified  the  roar 
and  scream  of  the  north-east  wind, 
with  its  bass  and  treble  groans  and 
yells  as  of  sorrow  and  pain.  To  Nan 
it  brought  strange  memories.  It 
was  on  such  a  night  as  this  that  the 
mates  had  brought  in  her  ' 'cap tain," 
drowned  by  the  cold  and  cruel  sea, 
and  then  she  had  realised  how  habit 
and  tending  had  bound  to  her,  and 
she  had  grieved  for  him  and  half 
forgotten  his  tyranny  and  cruelty. 
223 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

A  great  gust  swept  round  the  house 
and  seemed  to  shake  it,  and  Nan 
tried  to  fasten  the  window  more 
tightly.  As  she  did  this  she  saw  a 
figure  being  swept  along  round  the 
corner  near  her  house.  The  woman's 
clothes  were  driven  like  sails  before 
her,  and  she  could  hardly  stand. 
Nan  exclaimed  as  she  watched  her 
frantic  attempts  to  steady  herself: 

"Good  Lord!  she'll  be  down; 
'tain't  fit  for  a  dog  to  be  out." 

She  suddenly  realised  who  the 
woman  was,  and  she  opened  the  hall 
door  quickly  and  peered  into  the 
street. 

"Come!"  she  said  sharply;  "come, 
Mrs.  Trenoweth;  you'll  be  most 
killed  with  the  wind,  woman!  Come 
in  and  I'll  get  you  a  cup  of  tea,  for  I 
should  think  this  gale  of  wind  has 
about  blowed  the  brains  out  of  you !" 

Janet  laughed  softly. 
224 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

"I  can't  get  my  breath/'  she  said. 
"I'm  done  out,  I  fancy.  Yes,  thank 
you,  Nan,  I'll  rest  a  minute  to  get 
my  wind  a  bit." 

She  followed  Nan  into  the  hall 
and  leaned  against  the  door  as  it 
was  closed  behind  her.  The  elder 
woman  turned  and  looked  at  her 
guest.  Janet's  beautiful  brown  hair 
was  rumpled  and  tossed  and  hei 
cheeks  were  red  from  the  fight  with 
the  wind ;  her  dark  blue  eyes,  which 
were  shaded  by  purple  rings  under 
them,  had  a  wistful  light  which  did 
not  escape  Nan's  keen  look  of  in 
quiry.  She  was  gazing  into  Janet's 
face  to  find  the  trail  of  the  fiend, 
for  Loved  ay's  story  had  perplexed 
her  because  of  its  unlikelihood.  She 
stared  at  Janet,  and  then  yapped, 
very  gently  for  her,  for  fear  of  waken 
ing  Loveday.  Janet  laughed  too. 

"Oh!"  she  said  with  a  gasp; 
225  I5 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

"I've  not  come  here  of  my  own  will, 
Nan,  I've  been  swept  here.  I  don't 
believe  I  could  have  stood  on  my 
feet  a  minute  longer." 

"Have  you  walked  far?"  asked 
Nan. 

"Yes,"  answered  Janet  sharply, 
"I  have — a  good  long  way!" 

"Seaweed?"    queried   Nan. 

"No,"  said  Janet. 

Nan  smiled.  Then  she  folded  her 
hands  together  in  front  of  her  small 
waist,  and  said  suddenly  and  with  a 
genial  yap: 

"Why  the  devil,  woman,  can't 
I  call  you  Janet?" 

Janet  laughed  heartily. 

"Why  haven't  you  before,  Nan? 
I'd  like  it  from  you,  and — and — 
from  others  too,"  she  said  slowly. 

"Darn  ye,  woman,"  said  Nan, 
"I  wonder  I've  never  thought  on  it 
afore,  but  it's  just  corned  in  my  head 
226 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

like  a  swear  word,"  and  she  fumbled 
in  her  gown  for  her  handerkchief 
and  blew  her  nose  loudly.  Then 
she  laughed  again  and  said  suddenly 
and  rather  nervously: 

" Janet!  I'd  be  very  well  pleased 
to  have  a  kiss  of  you,  my  dear,  if  it 
do  please  you,"  and  the  yellow  teeth 
snapped  together  as  she  looked  into 
Janet's  face.  "I  fancy  there  be  but 
few  females  hereabouts  with  your 
forthrightness  in  'em,  and  I  commend 
you  and  like  you  for  it.  Now!" 
standing  taut  before  Janet  and  put 
ting  her  hand  on  her  arm.  "There 
now,  I've  said  what  I've  wanted  to 
say  to  you  before  today;  but  a  body 
do  feel  a  bit  soft  like  when  they 
set  to  work  telling  of  a  woman  as 
they  do  set  store  by  her." 

She  snorted  and  sidled  up  to  Janet 
and  gave  her  a  gentle  poke  in  the  ribs. 
The  tears  had  suddenly  sprung  into 
227 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

Janet's  eyes;  sympathy  just  then 
seemed  to  crush  her.  With  one  of 
those  uncontrollable  impulses  which 
sweep  over  women  sometimes  as 
intuitions  or  as  madnesses,  she  fell 
on  her  knees  at  Nan's  feet,  clasped 
the  woman's  gown  with  her  two  long 
hands  and  bowed  her  head  over 
them.  Nan  snorted  like  a  wild 
creature  and  said  thickly: 

"Lord  a  mercy,  my  dear!  get  up 
to  once't.  Whatever  be  you 
a-kneeling  like  that  to  an  old  creature 
like  me?  I'll  stand  by  you,  Janet. 
Yes!  I  will.  I'll  keep  to  my  word 
till  I've  passed,  now!" 

The  wind  screamed  and  whistled 
round  the  house  until  voices  could 
scarcely  be  heard.  As  it  died  away 
in  a  moan  the  temporary  lull  seemed 
to  rouse  Janet.  She  rose,  and  Nan, 
on  tip-toe,  reached  to  her  new  friend's 
face.  She  took  it  between  her  hard 
228 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

thin  little  hands  and  dwelt  for  a 
moment  on  its  softness  with  the  ex 
pression  one  sees  in  a  beautiful  wo 
man's  face  as  she  looks  in  her  mirror. 
Then  she  kissed  the  mouth  again  and 
again  with  the  sharp  quick  kiss  of 
one  unaccustomed  to  tender  love 
ways. 

"There!"  she  said,  "that's  for 
always,  mind.  Folk  may  come  and 
jaw,  but  they  won't  draw  me  over 
anything  that  you  may  tell  me. 
I'll  stand  square  to  you  whether  I 
know  or  don't  know  all  about  ye." 

Janet  smiled  wearily,  but  she  said 
slowly  and  almost  cheerfully: 

"Thank  you  for  that,  Nan.  It's 
a  treat  to  know  you  mean  what  you 
say.  I'm— I'm " 

A  sudden  noise  made  the  two  wo 
men  turn. 

Loveday  stood  in  the  doorway  of 
the  kitchen.  Her  right  thumb  was 
229 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

in  her  mouth  and  her  face  was  vacant 
with  drunken  wonder. 
"My  gosh!"  she  muttered. 


230 


CHAPTER  VIII 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Old  Mother  Trenoweth  was 
asleep.  Finding  her  son  silent  and  in 
clined  to  doze  she  had  slipped  from 
the  kitchen  into  her  little  bedroom 
and  had  lain  down  with  a  weary  sigh. 
The  tempest  without  and  her  own 
desponding  thoughts  about  Janet  and 
Steve  had  brought  on  a  mood  which 
even  the  Big  Book  was  powerless 
to  dispel.  She  closed  her  eyes  and 
gradually  sank  into  unconsciousness. 
She  awakened  suddenly  from  a  dis 
turbing  dream,  in  which  she  saw 
Steve's  legs  being  sawn  off  with  a 
blunt  file,  to  find  Loveday  bending 
over  her  with  her  finger  on  her 
lips. 

"Husht!"  she  said  solemnly,  as 
233 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

she  shook  the  old  woman's  arm. 
"I've  crept  in  unbeknowns  to  Steve 
there,"  pointing  to  the  inner  room; 
"he  be  fast  asleep  and  looks  as  snug 
as  a  duck."  She  laughed  roughly. 
"Let  him  sleep,  poor  fool;  it's  the 
best  thing  as  he  can  do,  seems  to 
me." 

She  sat  on  a  chair  near  the  bed  and 
leaned  over  towards  the  old  woman. 

"Thy  Steve  have  got  to  know  a 
thing  or  two  when  he  do  waken, 
let  me  tell  you.  Seems  to  me  as  his 
woman  'd  trample  the  life  out  of 
him,  and  never  shed  a  tear  over  it." 

Loveday  scratched  her  head  slow 
ly  and  then  jerked  out  as  she  point 
ed  to  the  kitchen: 

"She's  been  with  a  strange  man  for 
hours  to-day,  kissing  of  him  and  cud 
dling  of  him,  and  he  sleeping  in  there 
like  a  HI  baby;  a  innocent  forth 
right  fool  he  be,  who  thinks  no  hurt 
234 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

of  she  and  'd  never  believe  the  truth 
about  her  if  God  Hisself  told  him 
it." 

The  old  woman  sat  up  and  twist 
ed  round  to  face  Loveday.  Her  old 
thin  legs  hung  loosely  over  the  side 
of  the  bed,  and  her  two  hands  were 
outstretched  on  either  side  of  her 
as  she  leaned  forward  and  peered 
into  the  eyes  of  her  neighbour. 
She  sat  speechless  with  horror.  For 
many  months  she  had  tried  to  over 
take  Janet  in  some  fault;  had  watch 
ed  and  waited  in  the  hope  that  her 
sou's  wife,  through  some  frailty  of 
nature  or  want  of  purpose,  would 
be  found  to  be  made  of  as  common 
clay  as  herself  and  her  neighbours; 
and  perhaps  what  had  chafed  her 
more  than  anything  else  was  the 
fixed  conviction  in  her  mind  that  her 
quest  would  be  a  useless  one.  Her 
private  conviction  was  the  same  her 
235 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

son  had  expressed  when  he  declared 
" there  is  no  flaw  in  her."  The 
thought  that  perhaps  Loveday's 
words  were  true  and  there  was  not 
only  flaw  but  sin  in  this  fair  saint, 
whom  her  son  worshipped,  almost 
paralysed  her,  and  for  his  sake  she 
now  took  up  the  cudgels  for  Janet. 

"Thee  art  drunk,"  she  said  stolid 
ly  to  Loveday,  and  her  old  hands 
tightened  on  the  white  counterpane. 

Loveday  laughed. 

"Yes,  so  I  be,  sure  enough,  but 
with  different  stuff  to  a  woman's 
face.  I'm  thinking  as  the  whole 
place  hereabouts  be  going  crazy  over 
Janet.  Nan's  brains,  seems  to  me, 
have  got  soaked  with  her  at  last, 
and  now  you" — pointing  with  her 
fat  finger  at  Mother  Trenoweth — 
"why,  you,  as  be  her  natural  enemy, 
in  a  manner  of  speaking,  be  uphold 
ing  of  her.  Why,  woman,  don't 
236 


THEE    ART    DRUNK,"    SHE    SAID    STOLIDLY 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

you  recollect  how  you  have  set  me 
on  Janet's  tracks  yourself,  almost 
against  my  own  nature,  for  to  find 
out  measley  things  of  her?  Well! 
I've  found  out  enough  about  her 
to  earn  a  Queen's  pension,  and  you 
sit  up  like  a  image  and  make  ugly 
faces  at  me  because  I've  done  the 
very  thing  as  you  was  longing  for 
me  to  do.  Tain't  neighbourly,  to 
say  nothing  else  about  it." 

She  stooped  and  pulled  up  a  loose 
stocking,  and  tied  it  over  her  knee 
with  a  bit  of  flannel  edging  which 
was  frayed  and  black  with  age.  Her 
face  was  red  from  the  exertion  when 
she  again  faced  the  old  woman. 
Mrs.  Trenoweth  still  sat  in  the  same 
posture,  except  that  one  wrinkled 
hand  fumbled  into  her  pocket  for 
her  handkerchief.  She  carefully 
wiped  the  corners  of  her  mouth  and 
again  clasped  the  quilt  with  the 
237 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

handkerchief  still  in  her  hand.  Love- 
day  waited  for  her  to  speak,  but  her 
mouth  was  set  and  she  uttered  no 
sound. 

"Don't  ye  bear  no  grudge  agin 
her  now,  Mrs.  Trenoweth?"  asked 
Loveday  sharply. 

"Yes,  yes!  sure  enough/'  she 
muttered ;  "but,  my  dear,  if  what  you 
do  say  be  true  it  '11  about  kill  Steve, 
and — and" — the  old  hands  were  now 
clasped  together — "Oh!  I'd  sooner 
bear  all  the  mincing  ways  of  forty 
false  females  as  was  ever  born  nor 
hurt  him!  Oh!  Lordy!  Lordy!  it's 
a  judgment  on  us!  it's  a  judgment, 
sure  enough.  What  shall  we  do? 
What  shall  we  do?" 

She  whimpered  and  buried  her 
face  in  her  hands. 

"Gosh!"  murmured  Loveday; 
"here's  a  job!  The  muck's  set  roll 
ing  now  and  the  old  un's  scared  at 
238 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

the  sight  of  it.  Pity  but  what 
we'd  all  of  us  held  our  jaws  about 
her.  It  do  never  do  to  stir  a  dung 
pile  if  you've  got  a  tender  nose  for 
stinks.  Better  let  it  rot  and  pre 
tend  it  ain't  about  at  all.  But  this 
pile  have  been  stirred,  sure  enough, 
and  we've  got  to  stomach  it  the  best 
way  we  can." 

The  old  woman  still  whimpered, 
and  Loveday's  face  grew  graver  and 
graver. 

"I  wish  Nan  was  corned,"  she  said 
under  her  breath,  "for  I'm  none 
fit  to  tramp  down  misfortune.  Look 
here,"  she  said  suddenly,  "I'll  shut 
up  Snowball  Jack's  mug  over  this 
jobatonce't;  now!  though  the  news 
by  now,  I'm  fearing,  will  be  like  the 
floods  a  bit  since  gone,  whether  we 
will  or  no,  right  into  everybody's 
door.  But  cheer  up;  I'll  do  my  best 
for  you  and  Steve,  Mrs.  Trenoweth, 
239 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

even  if  I  have  to  turn  a  willing  liar 
over  it.  After  all,  I  believe  it's  a 
good  bit  the  itch  in  me  to  be  thought 
well  of  as  have  pushed  me  on  over 
this  job.  I've  a  parcil  of  proud 
longings  in  me,  and  I'm  pretty  sure 
as  they  have  spurred  me  on  to  hate 
Steve's  woman.  She  could  have 
given  me  a  leg  up  if  she'd  had  a  mind 
to,  but  she's  always  treated  me  like 
dung,  and,"  with  a  vicious  stamp, 
"I  do  hate  her  for  it,  for  if  you  prick 
her  finger  and  mine,  you'll  find  the 
same  blood  in  both  of  us — now! 
I've  always  understood  as  you  was 
agin  her  yourself,  too,  Mrs.  Treno- 
weth,  for  many  and  many  a  time  you 
and  me  have  set  one  another  on  a 
heat  of  hate  over  her.  There  were 
a  time  when  if  she'd  only  spoken  fair 
to  me,  likely  as  not  I'd  have  gone 
as  crazed  over  her  as  Nan  be  now, 
and  I  corned  to  know  that  as  I  walked 
240  I6 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

here,  for  I  were  struck  by  Nan's 
way  as  I  left.  She  be  like  one  under 
conviction  about  that  woman,  and 
I  seed  a  sight  afore  I  left  her  house 
as  fairly  catched  my  breath!" 

The  old  woman  stared  appealing- 
ly  at  Loveday  and  touched  her  gent 
ly  on  the  arm. 

"Loveday,  my  dear,"  looking 
shrinkingly  at  the  door,  "tell  me," 
in  a  whisper,  "what  have  Janet 
done?" 

"What  we've  all  done  once't  or 
twice,  I  reckon,"  laughed  Loveday, — 
"kissed  the  wrong  man." 

"It's  witchcraft,  sure  enough," 
sighed  the  old  woman. 

"It's  nature,"  snarled  Loveday 
fiercely. 

"Lordy!    Lordy!"    and  big  tears 
rolled  down  the  old  woman's  cheeks, 
"to  think  that  I  should  have  lived 
to  see  my  handsome  befooled!" 
241 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

"Why!"  interrupted  Loveday, — 
"you  never  thought,  did  you,  but 
what  Janet  was  a  flash  sort  all  along? 
Many  and  many's  the  time  you've 
told  me  so,  and  now,  because  it's 
proved  true,  you  seem  most  heart 
broken  over  it." 

"What  shall  we  do?  What  shall 
we  do?"  whined  the  old  woman. 
"Steve  is  bound  to  know  afore  long, 
and  who'll  tell  him,  I  wonder?  It 
'11  kill  him,  it  will,  sure  enough; 
dirty  lying  jade  she  be,  and  they  as 
has  spied  on  her  be  no  better.  I 
hope  the  Lord  '11  punish  her  with 
many  stripes  and  with  bitter  pains." 

Loveday's  face  had  suddenly 
grown  bright,  for  an  idea  had  crept 
into  her  dull  brain. 

"Look  you  here,  Mrs.  Trenoweth," 

she   said.     "I'll    git   over   this   job 

for  ye.     Yes,  I  will.     I'll  tackle  Janet 

my  own  self,"  with  a  laugh,  "and 

242 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

tell  her  straight  and  square  what  I 
do  know.  It*  11  happen  then  be 
my  turn  to  mince  a  bit,  I'm  thinking, 
and  her  fat  hands  made  a  slender 
flail  of  her  apron,  with  which  she 
flicked  her  knees.  "I'll  have  a  forth 
right  talk  with  her  this  very  night," 
she  added  gaily,  "if  I  can  only  hap 
pen  on  her  for  a  while  without  Steve 
being  by,  and  I'll  mark  her  bearing 
over  this  job  and  then  act  as  it 
do  seem  best  afterwards.  I'm  in 
agreement  with  you,  Mrs.  Treno- 
weth,  and  I  think  as  Steve  should 
know  about  this  to  once't,  but  if 
she's  very  repentant,"  with  a  giggle, 
"we  might  spare  him  most  of  it, 
don't  you  see?  Howsomever,  I'll 
face  the  hussey  and  see  if  her  rose- 
pink  face  do  flush  at  all — eh?" 

She  poked  the  old  woman  on  the 
knees  with  her  knuckles  and  coughed 
significantly. 

243 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

"Lordy!  Lordy!"  whined  the 
miserable  old  mother  as  she  slipped 
from  the  bed  and  stood  before  Love- 
day ;  "are  you  certain  sure  it  be  true, 
or  is  it  all  a  tale  made  up  by  malice 
and  laziness?** 

"It  is  true  enough,"  answered 
Loveday.  "Snowball  Jack  see'd  it 
with  his  own  eyes,  and  you'll  likely 
enough  have  a  brat  to  tend  in  this 
house-place  one  day  for  to  witness 
to  her  virtue." 

She  laughed  coarsely,  and  then 
said  with  a  sudden  impulse: 

"But  I'm  getting  sharp  in  the 
tongue  agin,  and,  after  all,  she's  no 
worse  nor  others  hereabouts;  all  of 
us  ain't  no  great  shakes,  be  us?' 
with  a  quick  look  at  the  old  dame; 
"but  that's  the  queer  thing  in  this 
job,  as  she's  no  better  nor  us," 
and  a  gentle  smile  crept  over  her 
face.  "I  do  feel  more  kindlier  to 
244 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

her  now,  someway,  than  I  did  afore, 
and  I  reckon  perhaps  when  I've  had 
a  forthright  mag  with  her  I'll  like 
ly  feel  more  like  Nan  do  feel  towards 
her."  Then  with  bitterness  as  her 
face  clouded  again:  "No,  I  shan't 
neither,  for  maids  and  wives  should 
have  different  ways  with  them; 
I'm  certain  sure  of  that;  for  what's 
nothing  but  a  bit  of  a  prank  with 
one,  is  the  devil's  own  work  with  the 
other." 

A  movement  in  the  kitchen  roused 
both  the  women. 

"Wait!"  said  Loveday,  "I'll  go 
and  move  Steve,  for  it's  he  as  have 
wakened,  and  is  wanting  of  ye.  It 
won't  do  for  him  to  see  you  with 
that  look  on  thy  face;  it's  enough 
to  frighten  the  craws,  much  less  a 
man  like  Steve,  as  do  belong  to  read 
to  once't  in  a  body's  eyes  what's 
going  on  in  their  insides.  I'll  say 
245 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

you  be  coming  by  and  by,  and  do 
you  wash  thy  face  and  chirp  up, 
woman.  Leave  it  all  to  me,  and 
I'll  do  for  ye  as  I  would  for  my  own, 
now!" 

She  opened  the  door  and  went 
away,  and  the  old  woman  fell  on  her 
knees  by  the  bed,  and,  shaking  her 
head  from  side  to  side,  muttered: 

"Blessed  Lord  and  Saviour!  have 
pity  on  us!  Take  this  burden 
off  of  us,  for  it  be  none  of  our  seek 
ing.  Have  mercy,  Lord,  on  a  moth 
er's  broken  heart — oh!  be  gracious 
i> 

She  was  rudely  interrupted  by 
Loveday,  who  had  come  back  and 
was  shaking  the  old  woman's  arm 
fiercely  as  she  knelt  with  her  head 
bowed  over  her  hands. 

"Mrs.  Trenoweth!  Get  up  to 
once't;  Janet's  come,  and  I'm  too 
late  to  jaw  her;  she's  kneeling  like 
246 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

a  innocent  babe  alongside  Steve, 
and  they  be  staring  in  one  another's 
eyes  like  two  fools  just  beginning 
coortship.  My  Lord!  that  woman 
beats  a  play  actor  for  shamming  !' ' 


247 


CHAPTER  IX 


CHAPTER  IX 

The  wind  of  the  previous  night, 
with  its  ghoulish  yells  and  mocking 
wails,  had  suddenly  stilled.  Na 
ture  for  a  brief  hour  seemed  poised 
between  smiles  and  tears,  and  then, 
as  the  dawn  slowly  crept  over  the 
shadowy  hills  and  the  black  cliffs, 
she  decided  for  shine  and  shimmer, 
and  soon  the  little  hamlet  of  Carn- 
wyn  was  roused  to  greet  one  of 
those  luscious  days  when  light  and 
colour  transform  everything.  The 
sea  was  calm,  and  the  little  skiffs 
moved  on  its  blue  surface  as  if  pro 
pelled  by  some  mysterious  sea-elves, 
whose  gliding  motions  under  the 
water  gave  it  the  sapphire  tinge  by 
which  mortals  become  soothed  as  by 
fairy  liltings, 

251 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

Janet  watched  the  sunrise  from 
their  little  window. 

Steve  was  asleep  in  her  arms,  and 
a  smile  played  round  his  lips  as  he 
dreamed.  Janet  turned  to  look  at 
him,  and  she  smiled  too  as  she  drew 
him  closer  to  her.  The  movement 
wakened  him  and  their  eyes  met. 
She  cradled  him  in  her  arms  and  he 
hungrily  kissed  her  breast  as  she 
folded  him  to  her. 

"Janet,"  he  whispered  softly. 

"Well,  mon,"  she  answered. 

He  held  her  chin  between  his  fin 
ger  and  thumb  and  looked  in  her 
eyes;  then  he  spoke  slowly: 

"I  pity  them  chaps  as  uses  ring- 
locks  for  to  keep  their  wives  from 
flying  from  'em.  Janet,  thee's  been 
near  to  the  very  heart  and  soul  of 
me  this  night."  He  stroked  her 
head  tenderly  as  he  went  on.  "It's 
fools  and  worse  nor  fools  that  holds 
252 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

what  they  love  past  bearing.  Look 
at  that  gull  and  don't  go  for  to  cry, 
girl — it's  all  like  a  bit  of  heaven, 
sure  enough." 

Janet  sobbed  softly,  but  did  his 
bidding  and  looked  out  to  sea, 
where  she  saw  the  upward  sweep  of  a 
gull  whose  white  wings  gleamed  in 
the  sunlight.  Steve  laughed  happi 
ly  as  he  kissed  his  wife's  hands. 

"Hear  her  cry!"  he  said  suddenly; 
"she's  free,  woman — free  to  go  and 
free  to  come." 

He  gazed  at  her  with  passion  in 
his  eyes,  but  his  mouth  twitched  with 
tenderness  as  he  went  on: 

"I  do  worship  thee,  woman,  with 
all  my  soul  and  all  my  body,  and — 
and — "  taking  her  face  between  his 
hands,  "if  thee  would  like  that  chap 
fetched — Yes!"  with  emphasis — 
"Yes,  by  God!  he  shall  come  and 
dwell  with  us,  and  I'll  throttle  any 
253 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

bit  of  jealous  devil  left  in  me  right 
away  if  it'll  make  thee  happy  again. 
It  have  come  over  me  like  a  dream 
that  jealousy  be  the  meanest  sin  in 
the  whole  world,  for  it  breeds  what 
it's  powerless  to  deal  with."  His 
face  saddened :  "To  lose  thee  would 
be  'most  death,  I  do  know,  but  to 
hold  thee  against  thy  will  would  be 
hell  for  us  both.  It  is  borne  in  on 
me  and  must  stand  so.  If " 

Janet  stopped  him  as  she  pointed 
to  the  sunrise.  Her  voice  was  low 
as  she  almost  whispered: 

"That's  like  an  answer  to  both 
our  fears:  it's  something  so  calm 
and  grand,  and  has  nothing  to  do 
with  men's  little  ways  at  all." 

"Ay!"  said  Steve.  "It's  a  scare 
we've  both  had;  the  gossips  scared 
me,  and  the  man  as  thought  he  loved 
thee,  scared  thee.  We're  together 
now,  lass,  with  no  one  by  to  meddle 
254 


STEVE'S     WOMAN 

and  mag.  It's  the  magging  that  al 
ways  rends  things  abroad  and  gives 
a  couple  no  chance,  whether  it's 
in  wedlock  or  out.  It's  we  two  and 
we  two  only  as  can  know  and  under 
stand  one  the  other ;  and  I  feel  young 
and  happy  again,  because  it  is  thee 
and  thee  only  who  can  make  up 
what  I've  been  ferriting  out  in  my 
blind  way  for  months.  We  love 
one  another,  woman — love  one  an 
other  so  well  we  ain't  afraid  of  no 
one — not  even  of  someone  who  tells 
thee  I'm  a  wolf  over  thee.  I  am  a 
wolf,  sure  enough,  but  thee's  made 
me  feel  to-night  a  longing  to  give 
that  other  chap  a  handshake.  He'll 
never  want  another  make  of  woman 
again.  Ah!  lass,  this  night  beats 
our  marriage  night  to  fits.  We're 
married  o'er  again — more  like  they 
marry  in  heaven,  I  reckon.  Once  I 
thought  it  a  dull  job,  as  the  parsons 
255 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

give  it  to  us;  but,  by  God,  I'm  not 
sure  we  ain't  all  in  a  fog  down  here 
o'er  the  marriage  show.  Our  no 
tions  are  a  bit  too  musty  and  fusty 
here  for  God's  place,  I'm  thinking. 
I  reckon  the  first  lesson  over  there 
'11  be  a  bit  like  this  one  you  and  me 
be  learning."  He  laughed  and  held 
Janet  closely  to  him  as  he  went  on  in 
a  happy  voice:  "I'm  like  a  child 
in  the  sun,  woman — o'erjoyed  at  the 
thought  that  I'd  grudge  thee  noth 
ing  in  the  world,  nothing,  mind — 
not  even  his  child !" 

He  cleared  his  throat,  and  his 
chest  rose  and  fell.  With  a  sud 
den  movement  Janet  turned  and 
looked  at  him.  Her  face  was  bathed 
in  light,  for  the  sun  had  now  risen 
and  its  slanting  beams  made  the 
dust  specks  in  the  room  roll  and 
dance,  as  if  to  keep  time  with  the  glad 
twitting  of  the  birds  outside,  who 
256 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

were  busy  drilling  their  youngsters 
for  flight. 

"Lad,"  she  said  slowly,  and  her 
face  was  alight  with  wonderful 
rest  and  happiness — "lad,  thee — 
thee  and  no  other  art  all  I  want  in 
this  world.  Yes — "  as  he  shook  his 
head;  "it's  truth!  If  for  one  mad 
hour  I  lusted  for  that  man  as  I've 
telled  thee  on,  with  that  hour  it  pas 
sed  from  me  as  if  it  had  never  been. 
He  told  me  hisself  as  it  were  just 
that  way  as  men  folks  feel  like  often 
about  women — women,  too,  as  they 
happen  never  clap  eyes  on  again; 
just  feelings  as  come  and  go  like 
those  of  the  beasts  in  the  field." 
She  shook  her  head  slowly  from  side 
to  side  and  took  her  husband's  hand 
in  her  large  firm  one  and  kissed  it 
tenderly  as  she  hung  over  it.  As 
she  stroked  it  gently  with  her  other 
hand,  she  went  on  in  a  low  happy 
voice: 

257  „ 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

"Eh!  But,  lad!  if  thy  fingers 
were  took  like  thy  legs  and  all  thy 
body  turned  white  like  the  lepers  the 
Bible  tells  on,  dost  thee  think  now 
as  thou  wouldn't  be  the  sweetest  and 
gradliest  lad  to  me  in  all  the  world?*' 

She  fondled  him  and  crooned  over 
him,  as  she  continued: 

"For  why!  Because  thee've  un 
derstood  as  no  one  else  could,  as 
yon  man  never  would  in  all  the  earth 
and  as  I  can't  even  rightly  myself, 
how  it  was  as  I  were  mazed  with  life 
and  took  the  rope  length  as  you  gave 


me." 


She  laughed  softly  and  closed  his 
hairy  hand  between  her  own  two 
brown  ones: 

"You  may  let  the  rope  go.-  yes, 
lad,  the  whole  length  of  it,  and  be 
cause  you'll  never  tighten  it  nor 
yet  knot  it,  I've  a  mind  to  stop. 
The  queer  part  is  I'm  none  repenting 
258 


STEVE'S    WOMAN 

as  I  ought  to;  for  if  I'd  never  gone 
from  thee  for  that  day  I  should  never 
in  all  this  world  know  what  I  know 
for  sure  now:  that — that — "  she 
hesitated  a  moment  and  then  held 
him  close  to  her  breast — "that  it  is 
thee,  and  not  him  nor  yet  no  other, 
as  I  do  love  as  a  woman  loves  a 


man." 


THE  END 


259 


